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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2020  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


Copyright  1911 

BY 

Keystone  Fireproofing  Company 


https://arChiVe.Org/detailS/StrengthlightneS00keyS 


Strength 

Lightness 

and  Rapidity 

IN  FIREPROOF  FLOOR 
CONSTRUCTION 


WITH  THE 

METROPOLITAN  FIREPROOFING 
COMPANY’S  SYSTEM 


K  eystone  Fireproofing 
Company 

BOSTON  NEW  YORK  PHILADELPHIA 


MONTREAL 


TORONTO 


Sixty  Wall  Street  Building 
60-62  Wall  St.  and  63-65  Pine  St. 
New  York 

Clinton  &  Russell, 

Architects 


HE  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  System  of 
M  fireproofing  has  been  employed  in  many  of  the  largest 

and  most  prominent  buildings  throughout  the  country 
for  the  past  twenty  years.  In  taking  over  this  system  from  the 
Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company,  the  Keystone  Fireproof¬ 
ing  Company  has  secured  the  services  of  the  hulk  of  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  the  former  Company,  thus  insuring  against  any  deviation 
from  the  successful  methods  that  have  always  been  a  strong  char¬ 
acteristic  of  the  Metropolitan  System  in  the  past. 

In  New  York  City  alone  there  are  more  than  thirty  buildings 
ranging  from  100  feet  to  340  feet  in  height,  constructed  under  this 
system,  in  addition  to  the  scores  of  smaller  buildings  in  which  it 
has  been  installed. 

Actual  fires  and  conflagrations  have  demonstrated  repeatedly 
that  a  material  may  be  sufficiently  fire-resisting  to  withstand  any 
temperature  to  which  it  might  be  subjected  in  a  burning  building, 
and  yet  be  entirely  unsuitable  as  a  fireproofing  material.  Para¬ 
doxically  speaking,  a  system  of  fireproofing  that  is  merely  “fire¬ 
proof"  will  not  answer.  To  be  efifective  it  must  not  only  be  in 
itself  fire-resisting,  but  must  be  sufficiently  non-conducting  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  beams  and  girders  that  it  is  designed  to  protect  from 
becoming  heated  to  an  injurious  degree. 

It  has  been  proven  that  a  temperature  of  800  degrees  F. 
weakens  steel  10  per  cent.,  and  that  a  temperature  of  1700  degrees 
F.  causes  it  to  lose  50  per  cent,  of  its  efficiency.  This  being  so, 
it  is  obvious  that  there  is  no  factor  of  greater  importance  in  the 
selection  of  a  fireproofing  system  than  this  feature  of  non-conduc¬ 
tivity  as  distinguished  from  mere  fire-resistance. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  booklet  to  present  briefly  the  reasons 
why  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company's  System  is  supe¬ 
rior  to  any  other  system  of  fireproofing,  not  merely  in  respect  to 
non-conductivity,  but  in  all  of  the  other  features  essential  in  modern 
building  construction. 

hi  doing  this  comparisons  are  made  with  other  systems  of 
fireproofing;  but  let  it  be  understood  that  these  comparisons  are 
confined  strictly  to  questions  of  fact,  in  no  way  intended  to  dis¬ 
parage  other  admittedly  good  forms  of  construction,  but  to  accom¬ 
plish  the  legitimate  purpose  of  proving  wherein  the  Metropolitan 
Fireproofing  Company’s  System  is  superior  to  others. 


The  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company' s  System 

HE  principle  of  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s 
V7  System  is  the  reinforcement  of  a  floor  or  roof  plate  by 
wire  cables  from  1  inch  to  3  inches  apart,  brought  to  a  deflection 
and  into  tension  between  each  pair  of  beams  or  purlins. 

The  plate  itself  consists  of  Metropolitan  composition,  com¬ 
posed  principally  of  pure  calcined  gypsum.  This  composition 
solidifies  in  from  20  to  30  minutes  after  being  poured  in  place,  and 
the  wood  centering  can  then  be  safely  removed.  The  resulting 
floor  is  then  sufficiently  strong  to  be  used  at  once,  and  within  an 
hour  after  it  is  poured  provides  a  working  floor  that  can  be  safely 
used  under  the  loads  for  which  it  has  been  calculated. 

The  upper  surface,  being  uniform  and  level  above  the  tops 
of  the  beams,  is  then  ready  for  the  laying  of  the  wood  sleepers  or 
concrete,  and  as  soon  as  the  blocks  are  set  in  place  along  the  webs 
and  flanges  of  the  girders,  the  furring  and  metal  lathing  is  put  in 
place  underneath  and  the  ceilings  are  ready  for  plastering. 


6 


W  r  \ 
< 

O  C 


oo  p 
oo 

ClH 


Strefigth 


F  can  be  stated  without  qualification  that  the  Metropolitan 


Fireproofing  Company’s  System  is  the  strongest  and 


safest  system  of  floor  construction  upon  the  market. 

In  any  form  of  reinforced  concrete  floor  construction,  the 
ultimate  strength  of  the  arch  is  determined  by  calculating  the 
strength  of  the  concrete  in  compression,  and  of  the  reinforcement 
in  tension.  An  intentional  or  accidental  deterioration  in  the  quality 
of  the  concrete,  or  a  failure  of  any  part  of  the  mass  to  establish 
a  bond  with  the  reinforcement,  destroys  absolutely  the  value  of  such 
calculations. 

A  floor  constructed  of  hollow  tile  depends  for  its  strength 
solely  upon  the  arch  principle.  The  failure  of  a  mason  to  prop¬ 
erly  key  it,  or  the  presence  in  an  arch  of  a  broken  or  imperfect 
tile,  as  is  bound  to  happen  in  the  handling  of  large  quantities  of 
any  hard,  brittle  material,  destroys  completely  the  principle  of  the 
construction,  causing  it  to  become  in  effect  nothing  more  than  a 
permanent  centering  for  the  concrete  filling  on  top,  upon  which 
the  actual  strength  of  the  floor  is  then  dependent. 

In  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  System  none 
of  these  elements  of  uncertainty  are  present.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  composition  out  of  which  the  floor  plate  is  cast  has  a 
crushing  strength  of  more  than  rq,ooo  pounds  per  square  foot,  this 
is  entirely  disregarded  in  calculating  the  strength  of  the  arch. 

Being  supported  by  continuous  wire  cables,  securely  fastened 
at  each  end  and  brought  into  deflection  and  tension,  the  stresses 
are  calculated  by  ordinary  engineering  formulae,  and  it  is  these 
cables  that  are  relied  upon  exclusively  to  carry  the  load,  and  not 
the  combination  of  the  metal  and  the  floor  filling  as  in  other  sys¬ 
tems.  In  other  words,  being  strictly  a  metal  system,  its  strength 
can  be  calculated  with  the  same  accuracy  as  that  of  a  suspension 
bridge,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  the  only  system  of  fireproof  floor 
construction  that  has  ever  been  permitted  by  the  New  York  Bureau 
of  Buildings  to  be  designed  with  a  factor  of  safety  of  four,  as  in 
metal  work,  instead  of  a  factor  of  safety  of  ten,  as  required  in  all 
forms  of  concrete  and  masonry  construction. 


8 


Hecker-Jones-Jewell  Flour  Mills 
Coenties  Slip  and  East  River 
New  York 


In  the  twenty  years  during  which  this  system  has  been  in  use. 
not  a  single  arch  has  ever  fallen  from  any  cause  whatsoever. 

The  remarkable  strength  of  this  construction  cai\  be  appre¬ 
ciated  by  the  results  of  the  innumerable  load  tests  that  have  been 
made  from  time  to  time,  records  of  which  are  contained  in  Part  II 
of  this  book. 


io 


Mutual  Building 
9th  and  Main  Streets 
Richmond,  Va. 

Clinton  &  Russell, 

Architects 


Fire  Resistance  ana  Non-conductivity 


CHE  composition  used  in  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company’s  System  consists  principally  of  pure  calcined 
gypsum,  together  with  a  percentage  of  wood  chips.  While  gypsum 
is  to-day  generally  recognized  as  the  most  effective  material  for 
fire-protection  that  is  known  commercially,  the  rock  from  which 
this  composition  is  made  is  mined  from  our  own  deposits,  and  cal¬ 
cined  by  a  special  process  that  develops  in  it  the  highest  degree  of 
fire-resistance  that  can  be  obtained  in  any  material  used  for  this 
purpose. 

The  presence  of  the  wood  chips  in  this  composition  gives  to 
it  a  degree  of  toughness  and  elasticity  that  is  not  to  be  found  in 
any  other  fireproofing  material,  and  being  present  in  but  a  small 
proportion,  they  are  completely  insulated  by  the  greater  mass  of 
gypsum  in  which  they  are  imbedded,  in  no  way  detracting  from  the 
fire-resistance  of  the  composition. 

While  clay  tile  and  stone  concrete  are  both  fireproof  in  the  sense 
of  being  incombustible,  neither  of  these  materials  develop  a  high  effi¬ 
ciency  as  non-conductors,  and  in  offering  resistance  to  the  trans¬ 
mission  of  heat  to  the  beams  and  girders  that  they  are  intended  to 
protect;  moreover,  when  they  have  become  heated  to  a  high  degree 
of  temperature,  the  sudden  application  of  a  stream  of  water  will 
cause  them  to  crack  and  fly.  Both  of  these  materials  also  possess 
a  comparatively  high  coefficient  of  expansion.  In  nearly  all  severe 
fires  it  has  been  observed  that  expansion  has  fractured  the  webs  of 
hollow  tile,  causing  the  lower  shells  to  fall. 

Cinder  concrete,  while  not  possessing  the  strength  of  stone 
concrete,  is  superior  to  it  as  well  as  hollow  tile  both  in  non-con¬ 
ductivity  and  in  having  a  lower  coefficient  of  expansion,  but  it  is 
still  greatly  inferior  in  both  respects  to  gypsum. 

Metropolitan  composition,  on  the  other  hand,  has  a  coeffi¬ 
cient  of  expansion  of  practically  zero ,  and  is  so  remarkable  a  non¬ 
conductor  of  heat  that  a  moderate  thickness  prevents  the  passage 
of  nearly  all  warmth.  In  the  most  severe  fire  tests,  the  beams  have 
remained  cold,  and,  consequently,  unaffected,  while  in  some  cases 
beams  protected  by  hollow  tile  and  other  materials  have  been  so 
affected  by  heat  as  to  deflect  and  allow  the  floor  arches  to  fall 
before  the  flames  had  injured  them. 

When  exposed  to  fire  for  four  or  five  hours,  the  Metropolitan 


Forty-two  Broadway"  Building 
36-42  Broadway 
New  York 

Henry  Ives  Cobb, 

Architect 


composition  is  attacked  to  a  depth  of  from  3-16  inch  to  1  inch, 
the  remainder  being  unaffected,  and  neither  cracking,  flying  nor 
showing  any  trace  of  disintegration  when  a  stream  of  water  is 
applied. 

During  prolonged  tests  floor  plates  of  this  material  have 
remained  perfectly  cool  on  the  surface  not  exposed  to  the  flame. 
Witnesses  of  tests  have  stood  on  floors  made  of  this  material  with 
fires  under  them  equal  in  effect  to  a  conflagration ;  and,  in  the 
case  of  one  test,  which  is  a  matter  of  record  in  the  New  York 
Bureau  of  Buildings,  snow  remained  unmelted  on  the  upper  sur¬ 
face  while  the  underside  was  exposed  to  a  continuous  fire  for  four 
and  one-half  hours. 

In  the  official  test  for  the  New  York  Bureau  of  Buildings  on 
May  20,  1897,  sufficient  heat  did  not  reach  the  beams  to  affect  the 
paint. 

With  no  other  system  has  such  complete  protection  been 
afforded.  We  openly  challenge  any  other  system  of  fireproofing 
upon  the  market  to  a  comparative  fire  and  water  test,  to  be  con¬ 
ducted  according  to  the  test  specifications  of  the  New  York  Bureau 
of  buildings  under  the  direction  of  the  Engineering  Department 
of  Columbia  University,  New  York,  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  Boston,  or  the  Underwriters’  Laboratories,  Chicago. 

All  of  the  foregoing  facts  are  substantiated  by  the  various  fire 
and  water  tests  to  which  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Com¬ 
pany's  System  has  been  subjected,  the  detailed  official  records  of 
which  are  contained  in  Part  II  of  this  book. 


14 


Republican  Club 
54-56  West  40th  Street 
New  York 

York  &  Sawyer, 

Architects 


Lightness  and  Economy 


CHE  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  System  is 
by  far  the  lightest  floor  construction  upon  the  market,  the 
arch  itself  for  ordinary  hotel,  apartment  house  or  office  building 
loads  weighing  hut  14  pounds  per  square  foot. 

In  most  localities  the  cost  of  Metropolitan  floors  in  place, 
left  level  above  the  tops  of  the  beams,  and  with  metal  lathing  and 
furring  in  place  ready  for  plastering  underneath,  compares  favorably 
with  any  first-class  flat-ceiling  cinder-concrete  construction,  and  is 
substantially  cheaper  than  stone  concrete  or  hollow  tile  arches. 
But  when  the  extreme  lightness  in  weight  of  the  Metropolitan 
Fireproofing  Company’s  System  is  considered  in  designing  the 
steel  work  and  the  foundations,  and  the  consequent  saving  in  metal 
computed,  it  is  found  that  the  use  of  this  construction  will  prove 
more  economical  than  any  other  system  that  can  be  employed. 

Our  Engineering  Department  will  promptly  prepare  for  an 
architect  or  owner  a  complete  steel  layout  and  column  schedule  for 
any  type  of  building,  charging  only  actual  cost  for  this  service. 
which  will  be  refunded  in  full  if  we  are  awarded  the  contract  for 
fireproofing. 


Table  of  Dead  Load 

Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company'' s  System 

W  eight  of  floor  plate .  14  lbs.  per  sq.  ft. 

“  beam  filling,  averaged .  3  “ 

“  plastering  applied  directly  to  under 

side  of  arch .  4  “ 

“  2"  x  3"  sleepers  and  cinder  fill .  10  “ 

“  VC  wood  floor .  4 

Total  dead  load .  35  “  “  “ 

Note:  If  Form  A,  with  furring  and  metal  lathing  for  flat  ceilings 
underneath,  add  4  lbs.  per  sq.  ft.  to  above.  If  cement  floor  is  to  be  used 
instead  of  wood,  add  6  lbs.  per  sq.  ft.  to  above. 

The  foregoing  weights  will  apply  to  practically  all  types  of 
buildings,  except  for  the  very  heaviest  types  of  factories  or  ware¬ 
houses. 


H.  W.  Witcover, 

Architect 


City  Hall 
Savannah,  Ga. 


Sound-deadening 


HERE  is  no  type  of  building  where  the  prevention  of  the 


communication  of  sound  from  floor  to  floor  is  not  desir¬ 


able,  and  this  feature  assumes  the  highest  importance  in  hotels, 
apartment  houses,  residences,  educational  institutions  and  buildings 
devoted  to  musical  purposes. 

Keystone  Gypsum  Block  Partitions  have  been  proven  in 
practice  and  by  actual  comparative  tests  to  be  the  most  nearly 
perfect  non-conductors  of  sound  of  any  material  on  the  market. 
Hence,  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  Floors,  made 
from  the  same  material,  possess  exactly  the  same  degree  of  effi¬ 
ciency  in  this  respect,  emphasized  still  more  by  the  greater  thickness 
of  the  floor  plate  as  compared  with  the  partition  blocks. 

In  any  manufacturing  building  where  this  system  of  floor 
construction  has  been  installed,  one  can  enter,  and  the  noise  of 
heavy-running  machinery  upon  the  floor  above  will  be  entirely  in¬ 
audible  if  the  stair  and  elevator  openings  leading  above  are  prop¬ 
erly  closed. 


Langham  Apartments 
73d,  74th  Streets  and  Central  Park  West 
New  York 


Clinton  &  Russell, 

Architects 


Rapidity  of  Construction 


HERE  is  no  more  important  factor  in  determining  the  prob¬ 


able  time  required  to  complete  a  modern  building  operation 


than  the  speed  with  which  the  floor  arches  can  be  installed.  After 
the  erection  of  the  steel  has  begun  for  a  skeleton  frame  structure, 
the  progress  of  the  balance  of  the  work  depends  absolutely  upon 
the  fireproofing.  Every  day  that  can  be  saved  in  completing  the 
floor  and  roof  arches  represents  a  gain  of  a  day  in  the  time  required 
to  turn  over  the  completed  building. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  carrying  charges  on  a  building 
operation  often  amount  to  hundreds  of  dollars  daily,  the  total  of 
which  must  be  added  to  the  cost,  it  will  be  apparent  that  the  selec¬ 
tion  of  the  system  of  fireproofing  may  often  prove  to  have  been  a 
strong  influence  in  the  investment  value  of  the  completed  building. 

There  is  not.  nor  never  has  been,  a  system  of  fireproofing  that 
could  be  installed  as  rapidly  as  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company’s  System.  Reaching,  as  it  does,  its  initial  set  within 
not  over  thirty  minutes  from  the  time  it  is  poured,  the  centers  can 
be  dropped  in  an  hour’s  time  and  moved  up  to  the  floor  above, 
leaving  the  lower  floor  absolutely  clear,  ready  for  the  ceilings,,  par¬ 
titions  and  plastering. 

Compare  this  result  with  other  systems  such  as  concrete,  where 
the  centers  must  be  left  in  place  at  least  two  weeks,  resulting  in  six 
or  eight  floors  sometimes  remaining  centered  at  once,  during  which 
time  no  other  work  can  be  done  upon  them. 

Furthermore,  with  the  Metropolitan  Firefroofing  Com¬ 
pany’s  System,  the  season  of  the  year  does  not  enter  into  an 
estimate  of  the  time  required  to  complete  a  building.  With  hollow 
tile  or  concrete  floors  a  temperature  below  32  degrees  means  a  day 
lost,  but  as  the  composition  used  in  the  Metropolitan  Firefroof¬ 
ing  Company’s  System  sets  before  it  has  had  time  to  freeze,  this 
construction  can  be  installed  in  anv  weather  when  men  can  work, 
irrespective  of  temperature. 

The  job  diaries  of  the  contractors  who  erected  the  buildings 
illustrated  herein  are  proof  of  the  unequaled  speed  with  which  fire¬ 
proof  floors  may  be  installed  if  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company’s  System  is  used. 


20 


Garvin  Machine  Co.  Building 
Varick  and  Spring  Streets 
New  York 

C.  C.  Haight, 

Architect 


Preservation  of  Metal  Work 


ONTRARY  to  an  old  popular  belief,  there  is  no  material 


that  can  he  used  for  fireproofing  purposes  that  excels  gyp¬ 


sum  as  a  preventive  of  corrosion.  In  the  process  of  calcination 
to  which  the  raw  gypsum  is  subjected  by  us  for  the  manufacture 
of  Metropolitan  composition  and  Keystone  Gypsum  Blocks,  all 
of  the  free  acids  and  gases  escape.  When  it  is  poured  into  place 
around  the  beams  and  the  wire  cables,  crystallization  immediately 
begins,  and  in  from  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  the  metal  is  her¬ 
metically  sealed  within. 

Innumerable  small  sections  of  Metropolitan  arches  have  been 
removed  from  time  to  time,  from  buildings  eight  or  ten  years  old, 
and  in  every  case  the  cable  wires  embedded  therein  have  been  as 
bright  as  when  installed ,  after  removing  with  the  fingers  the  thin 
film  of  initial  rust  that  invariably  forms  when  any  wet  substance 
touches  metal. 


Henry  W.  Poor  Residence 
Tuxedo  Park,  N.  Y. 


Roof  Construction 

For 

Manufacturing  Plants 

CHE  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company's  System  of 
roof  construction  for  main  roofs,  monitors,  lean-to's,  etc., 
of  one-story  manufacturing  buildings  has  proven  superior  to  any 
other  form  of  construction  for  many  reasons : 

1st- — It  is  the  lightest  type  of  fireproof  roof,  weighing  not  over 
12  pounds  per  square  foot  in  place  ready  for  the  finished  roofing- 
material.  This  permits  of  a  substantial  saving  in  the  weights  of 
trusses  and  purlins,  an  economy  that  more  than  offsets  any  slight 
difference  in  the  first  cost  of  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company’s  System  as  compared  with  others.  We  have  frequently 
installed  this  construction  upon  steel  designed  to  carry  only  wood 
roofs,  with  thoroughly  satisfactory  results  and  without  overloading. 

2d — It  leaves  a  level,  even  surface  on  top,  to  which  slag  or 
other  forms  of  roofing  may  he  directly  applied. 

3d — It  will  hold  nails  almost  as  well  as  wood. 

4th — It  leaves  a  smooth,  even  surface  underneath,  requiring 
only  a  coat  of  cold  water  paint,  and  the  whiteness  of  which  adds 
greatly  to  the  light  in  the  building  both  day  and  night. 

5th — It  can  be  installed  more  rapidly  than  any  other  form  of 
construction,  and  in  any  weather  when  men  can  work,  irrespective 
of  freezing  temperatures. 

6th — Its  elasticity  insures  against  cracks  developing  from  the 
vibration  caused  by  cranes  and  other  heavy  machinery. 

7th — Its  non-conductivity  of  heat  and  cold  results  in  a  cooler 
building  in  summer,  and  in  winter  reduces  operating  expenses  by 
effecting  a  substantial  economy  in  the  cost  of  heating.  We  can  refer 
you  direct  to  manufacturing  concerns,  whose  buildings  are  con¬ 
structed  with  the  Metropolitan  roof  construction,  and  who  will 
give  you  the  accurate  cost  figures  of  heating  these  buildings  as 
compared  with  other  buildings  of  equal  size  in  their  own  plant 
having  other  forms  of  roofs.  In  some  cases  the  saving  in  heating- 
alone  of  a  single  building  has  run  as  high  as  $1200  or  $1500  per 
annum. 


24 


Atlantic  Building 

William  and  Wall  Sts.,  and  Exchange  Place 
New  York 


Clinton  &  Russell 

Architects 


Quality  Insurance 


OXE  of  the  many  reasons  for  the  strong  preference  felt  for 
the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  System  by 
architects  who  specify  and  use  it  in  their  most  important  work,  is 
the  sense  of  security  which  its  use  affords  them. 

In  a  hollow  tile  floor  arch  the  value  of  the  construction  depends 
entirely  upon  the  use  of  perfect  tile,  and  careful  workmanship  in 
setting  and  keying. 

With  concrete,  the  best  of  cement,  sand,  stone  or  cinders  means 
nothing  unless  they  are  used  in  the  proper  proportions.  As  it  is 
obviously  impracticable  for  the  architect's  superintendent  to  per¬ 
sonally  watch  every  mixing,  his  only  security  is  his  faith  in  the 
contractor;  but  if,  as  often  happens,  the  contractor’s  foreman  is 
influenced  bv  a  false  idea  of  economy  in  saving  cement,  what  then? 
Neither  the  architect  nor  the  contractor  can  detect  it  until  the 
damage  has  been  done. 

Every  cement  manufacturer  and  every  concrete  contractor  will 
tell  you  that  concrete,  made  of  good  cement  and  the  proper  aggre¬ 
gate,  and  with  reinforcement  correctly  designed  for  the  conditions 
to  be  met,  cannot  fail.  Although  we  are  competitors  of  concrete, 
we  frankly  admit  this,  and  yet  every  week,  every  dav  almost,  we 
read  of  concrete  arches  failing  that  are  constructed  with  proper 
reinforcement,  and  specified  to  be  of  the  proper  aggregate.  There 
is  but  one  answer — the  human  element. 

Practically  speaking,  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Com¬ 
pany’s  System  is  ‘‘fool-proof”  and  “thief-proof,"  for  the  man  who 
signs  a  contract  to  furnish  concrete  of  a  certain  aggregate,  and 
deliberatelv  weakens  it  to  increase  his  profit,  is  entitled  to  no 
milder  name.  When  we  sign  our  contract  for  the  fireproofing  of 
a  building,  we  furnish  the  architect  with  a  blue-print,  showing  a 
section  of  the  arch,  the  spacing  of  the  cables,  their  deflection,  etc. 
A  glance  at  the  building  once  a  day  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  enable 
him  to  see  that  he  is  getting  what  his  client  is  paying  for  in  this 
respect. 

This  leaves  only  the  composition  to  he  examined.  Manu¬ 
factured  at  our  mills,  by  the  thousands  of  tons,  each  ingredient 
automatically  measured,  mechanically  mixed,  bagged  and  shipped  to 
the  four  points  of  the  compass,  its  uniformitv  is  necessarilv  obvious. 
Arriving  at  the  building,  the  bag  is  opened  and  nothing  is  added  but 


26 


New  York  Public  Library 
190-192  Amsterdam  Ave. 
New  York 


Carrere  &  Hastings, 

Architects 


water.  A  sample  from  any  bag  and  a  small  sieve  enables  the  archi¬ 
tect,  in  his  office,  to  prove  in  five  minutes  that  he  is  getting  the 
proper  proportions,  as  the  formula  will  be  furnished  him  by  us 
in  confidence  upon  request.  A  dish  of  any  sort  and  a  glass  of  water 
permits  him  to  complete  the  test  and  prove  its  set. 

It  is  beyond  the  power  of  any  one  to  adulterate  Metropolitan 
composition  and  “get  away  with  it."  Any;  attempt  to  inject  foreign 
materials,  or  change  the  proportions  of  the  contents  of  a  single  bag, 
would  so  affect  the  set  as  to  be  obvious  to  the  most  casual  observer 
within  twenty  minutes. 

The  award  of  a  contract  for  fireproofing  to  this  Company, 
therefore,  is  in  effect  the  delivery  to  the  architect  of  a  policy  insur¬ 
ing  the  quality  of  the  work. 


Bancroft  Building 
5  West  29th  Street 
New  York 


R.  H.  Robertson 
Architect 


In  General 


E  permit  no  one  to  install  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company's  System  of  floor  and  roof  construction  but  our¬ 
selves;  and  whenever  practicable,  prefer  to  bid  upon  Keystone  Gyp¬ 
sum  Blocks  for  the  partitions,  column  protection,  wall  furring,  etc., 
erected  in  place  ready  for  plastering.  No  Keystone  Block  or 
Metropolitan  floor  has  ever  failed,  either  in  a  test  or  an  actual 
fire,  and  the  relation  of  the  floors,  partitions  and  column  protection 
to  one  another  under  fire  is  so  close  that  the  use  of  all  in  any  build¬ 
ing  is  of  importance  to  the  architect  and  owner  as  well  as  ourselves. 

Booklets  descriptive  of  Keystone  Blocks  and  the  tests  and 
fires  through  which  they  have  passed,  will  be  gladly  mailed  gratis 
upon  request. 

Plans  sent  to  any  of  our  sales  offices,  at  our  expense,  will  be 
promptly  returned  with  a  bona  fide  bid,  together  with  such  sug¬ 
gestions  as  to  the  specifications  as  our  wide  experience  in  the  fire¬ 
proofing  field  may  enable  us  to  offer  with  a  view  to  increasing 
efficiency  or  decreasing  cost. 

Fifteen  years’  experience  in  the  construction  as  well  as  the 
manufacture  of  fireproofing,  has  enabled  us  to  build  up  a  field 
organization  that  has  no  equal  in  this  country,  and  the  employment 
of  which  not  only  insures  to  the  architect  the  highest  standard  of 
workmanship  and  a  maximum  speed,  but  a  hearty  co-operation  in 
meeting  promptly  and  successfully  the  many  small  problems  and 
details  that  arise  on  every  building,  and  which  cannot  be  foreseen. 

The  capacity  of  our  various  factories  is  the  largest  of  their 
kind  in  the  world,  insuring  promptness  in  making  shipments. 

In  addition  to  the  careful  supervision  given  to  the  selection 
of  the  gypsum  rock  before  it  leaves  our  mines,  the  material  itself 
is  carefully  inspected  at  each  process  of  manufacture.  It  is  this 
rigid  inspection  that  preserves  the  well-known  uniformity  of  quality 
that  has  always  been  characteristic  of  Keystone  products. 


30 


Babies’  Hospital 
55th  St.  and  Lexington  Ave. 
New  York 

York  &  Sawver, 

Architects 


SPECIFICATION  FOR 

Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company's  System 
Fireproof  Floor  Construction 

FORM  “A” 


ETAL  cli]  )s  shall  be  fastened  to  the  bottom  flanges  of  the 
Ul  floor  beams,  which  shall  support  1”  x  3-16"  flat  iron  bars 
spaced  16"  on  centers  running  transversely  with  the  floor  beams,  tops 
of  such  flats  to  be  on  a  level  about  1  62  below  the  bottom  flanges. 

To  take  the  plaster  there  shall  be  fastened  to  the  1"  flats  ap¬ 
proved  metal  lathing  coated  with  asphaltum. 

By  means  of  forms  or  centers  placed  about  the  bottom  flanges 
of  the  floor  beams  and  girders  a  1 covering  of  Metropolitan 
composition  shall  be  cast  in  place  protecting  the  bottom  flanges  of 
the  floor  beams  and  girders. 

Cables,  each  composed  of  two  No.  12  galvanized  wires,  twisted, 
shall  be  carried  over  the  tops  of  the  floor  beams  and  shall  be  secured 
to  walls  by  anchors  and  bars ;  or  where  they  end  on  a  beam,  shall 
be  secured  to  it  by  strong  hooks.  These  cables  shall  be  laid  parallel 
and  pass  under  round  iron  bars,  midway  between  the  beams,  so  as 
to  cause  the  cables  to  deflect  uniformly.  The  cables  shall  be  laid 
at  distances  apart  from  each  other,  varying  from  1"  to  3"  according 
to  the  spans. 

Forms  or  centers  shall  be  put  in  place  between  the  floor  beams 
1”  below  the  round  iron  bars  mentioned  above.  The  composition 
mentioned  above  shall  be  poured  in  place  and  brought  to  a  level 
E?"  above  the  tops  of  the  flanges  of  the  floor  beams,  and  form  a 
floor  plate  about  4"  thick,  ready  for  the  laying  of  wood  sleepers  or 
concrete  on  top. 


32 


SPECIFICATION  FOR 


Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  System 
Fireproof  Floor  Construction 

FORM  “B” 


© 


V  means  of  forms  or  centers  placed  about  the  bottom  flanges 
of  the  floor  beams  and  girders,  a  1  y2"  covering  of  Metro¬ 
politan  composition  shall  be  cast  in  place,  protecting  the  bottom 
flanges  of  the  floor  beams  and  girders. 

Cables,  each  composed  of  two  No.  12  galvanized  wires,  twisted, 
shall  be  carried  over  the  tops  of  the  floor  beams  and  shall  be  secured 
to  walls  by  anchors  and  bars ;  or  where  they  end  on  a  beam,  shall 
be  secured  to  it  by  strong  hooks.  These  cables  shall  be  laid  parallel 
and  pass  under  round  iron  bars,  midway  between  the  beams,  so  as 
to  cause  the  cables  to  deflect  uniformly.  The  cables  shall  be  laid 
at  distances  apart  from  each  other,  varying  from  1"  to  3"  according 
to  spans. 


borms  or  centers  shall  be  put  in  place  between  the  floor  beams 
1"  below  the  round  iron  bars  mentioned  above.  The  composition 
mentioned  above  shall  be  poured  in  place  and  brought  to  a  level 
]/i  above  the  tops  of  the  flanges  of  the  floor  beams  and  form  a 
floor  plate  about  4'  thick,  ready  for  the  laying  of  wood  sleepers 
or  concrete  on  top,  and  the  plastering  or  painting  underneath. 


34 


Buildings  in  New  York  City 
over  100  Feet  High 

coiivStructed  under 

METROPOLITAN  FIREPROOFING 
COMPANY’S  SYSTEM 


Bl'II, DING 

STORIES 

FEET 

HIGH 

Sixty  Wall  Street.  Building, 

28 

340 

Forty-two  Broadway,  Building, 

21 

240 

Hudson  Building,  32-34  Broadway, 

16 

221 

Atlantic  Mutual  Building,  49  Wall  Street. 

18 

260 

Beaver  Building,  Beaver  and  Pearl  Streets, 

16 

200 

Singer  Building,  Broadway  and  Prince  Street. 

12 

170 

Woodbridge  Building,  William  and  John  Streets, 

13 

170 

Samson  Building,  63-65  Wall  Street, 

12 

161 

Bancroft  Building,  5-7  West  29th  Street, 

10 

143 

Standish  Arms  Hotel.  Brooklyn. 

12 

140 

51  East  18th  Street, 

10 

130 

13th  Street  and  Broadway. 

13 

124 

Fahy’s  Building,  54  Maiden  Lane, 

12 

120 

Hartford  Building,  17th  Street  and  Union  Square, 

11 

120 

Loft  Building,  37-39  East  21st  Street, 

10 

120 

Daniell’s  Department  Store,  Broadway  and  8th  Street,  8 

108 

Republican  Club,  54-56  West  40th  Street. 

12 

100 

Garvin  Machine  Company  Building,  Varick  and 

Spring 

Streets, 

8 

100 

Graham  Building,  Church  and  Duane  Streets, 

12 

100 

Bishop  Building,  William  and  Liberty  Streets, 

12 

100 

Broadway  Tabernacle,  56th  Street  and  Broadway, 

7 

100 

Hotel  Stratford.  11-13  East  32d  Street. 

13 

100 

Astor  Apartments,  75th  Street  and  Broadway, 

8 

100 

180  Broadway,  Building, 

12 

100 

55  West  21st  Street. 

9 

100 

Loft  Building,  27  East  21st  Street, 

10 

100 

Naval  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building 
Sands  and  Charles  Streets 
Brooklyn-New  York 

Parish  &  Schroeder 
Architects 


Partial  List  ol  Buildings  Constructed  Under 
METROPOLITAN  FIREPROOFING  COMPANY’S  SYSTEM 


3s 


Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 
Architects 


Bl-IU)ING  AKCHITKCT  .  '^WORK  °F 

Sixty  Wall  Street,  Building,  Clinton  &  Russell,  204,000  sq.  ft. 

00-62  Wall  Street,  63-65  Pine  Street,  New  York.  New  York. 


40 


Beaver  Building 
Beaver,  Pearl,  and  Wall  Streets 
New  York 


Clinton  &  Russell 
Architects 


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QUANTITY  OK 

BUILDING  ARCH  ITECT  WORK 

St.  Charles  Barromeo  Church,  George  H.  Streeton,  12,000  sq.  ft. 

141st  Street  near  7th  Avenue,  New  York.  New  York. 


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PART  II. 

Official  Records 
Fire,  Water  and  Strength 

Tests 


Title  of  Floor 

Metropolitan,  . 

McCabe’s,  .  . 

Hard  burnt 

hollow  tile, 

Rapp’s,  .  .  . 

Thomson’s,  .  . 

Manhattan 
Concrete  Co  , 

Expanded 

Metal  Co., 

Guastavino,  .  . 

Roebling’s,  .  . 

Central  Fire- 
Proofing  Co. , 

Columbian,  .  . 

Fawcett,  .  .  . 

Clinton,  .  . 

Bailey’s,  .  .  . 


TABLE  SHOWING  COMPARATIVE  RESULTS  OF  Tl; 

DEPARTMENT  OF  BUILDING, 


Description. 


Weight 

,  I, ns. 

Per 

Per 

Square 

Cubic 

Foot 

Foot 

48.51 

57- 

(Plaster  concrete,  with) 
\  twisted  wires  embedded,  j 


(Cinder  concrete  and  spe- ) 

\  cial  T.  C.  blocks,  .  .  .  i  93’22  103 ' 


Composition  of  Concrete! 


77.  Plaster  Paris, 
2i.  Wood  Chips, 
2.  Cocoa  Fibre, 


r.  Cement, 
2.  Sand,  . 
4.  Cinder, 


f  “Side  construction.”  Hol- 
J  low  tiles,  laid  with  ce¬ 
ment  and  covered  with  f 
concrete, .  1 

J  Cinder  concrete  on  brick  ) 
(  and  steel  bars,  .  .  .  .  ) 


f  Cinder  concrete  mixed) 
!  with  special  chemicals,  .  f 


Cinder  concrete,  with  ex¬ 
panded  metal  hung  to 
the  beams, . 


80.7  1 1 2  . 


1 


(  1.  Atlas  Portland, 
'  1.  Sand, 


8.  Cinder  Ash,  .  . 

1.  Stettin  Portland,  .  . 


Q  (  1.  Stc 

9°' 10  83-  |  7.  Cinder, 

76.65  106.25  Special  secret  combinatior 

!i.  Germania  Portland, 

2.  Gravel, . 

5.  Cinder, . 


f  Cinder  concrete,  with  ex-  |  (  1  Atlas  Portland,  .  .  . 

paiuled  metal  laid  on  ■  49.57  113.75  <2.  Fine  Sand . 

top  of  the  beams,  .  .  .  )  (4.  Cinder,  .  . 


1 


Dome  construction  ” 
small,  thin,  hard-burnt 
tiles  laid  in  cement, 


o  .  (  Cement  Mortar, 

4-32  122.4  \  No  Floor  Beams, 


Cinder  concrete  on  wire- ) 


1.  Cement, 


cloth  arch.  Suspended  -  53.72  83.25  -  2.  Sand, . 

ceiling, . J  (5.  Cinder,  . 


End  construction.”  Por¬ 
ous  terra-cotta  hollow 
tile,  with  cinder  concrete  ? 
on  top, . 


66.28  97. 


(  Cinder  Concrete, 
\  Not  specified, 


(  Cement  concrete  and  spe-  1 
(  cial  steel  bars . j  7 1  ■  35  1 24  - 


1.  Dyckerhoff  Portland, 
2X/Z  Sea-sand,  .  .  . 

5  Broken  bluestone,  . 


Tubular  tiles,  embedded  in  \  ^  1  Cinder  Concrete, 

cinder  concrete . j  7?>-95  92  5  ^  Not  specified,  . 


(Special  concrete  arch,  j 
j  Wire  and  plaster  under  •  73.4  488.5 

I  beams,  . ) 

(  Cinder  concrete  on  dove-  I 
f  tailed  sheet  metal,  .  .  .  )  "3-25  110.5 


(.  King’s  Windsor, 
2.  Plaster  Paris,  . 
4.  Cinder,  .  .  . 


1.  Rosen  dale, 

1.  Cinder  Ash, 

2.  Gravel, 


f^sts  upon  fireproof  floors,  conducted  by 

din w  YORK  CITY.  IN  1896-1897. 


Deflection 


Hot 

r  th  Load  of 

1  lbs.  per  sq. 
ft. 

J  ing  Firing. 

Cold 

With  Load  of 
600  lbs.  per  sq. 
ft. 

After  Firing. 

Permanent 
Deflection  of 
Beams. 

.36" 

.26" 

O." 

.3°S" 

.295" 

O." 

I.84" 

22" 

A" 

'  2. 37// 

■31" 

'A" 

A- 77" 

.38" 

A" 

;  2.54'/ 

.41" 

1." 

J  3-" 

•  34" 

1  ‘4" 

1  .7i// 

.22" 

.  1 67" 

448" 

.52" 

2  A" 

2 . 1 6// 

.22" 

2  A" 

4.07" 

•  54" 

4%" 

AA" 

.87" 

5^" 

2. 56" 

.26" 

Not  taken. 

3-o6" 

.625" 

Not  taken. 

Remarks 


(  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  2100°.  Paint 
J  on  beams  uninjured  by  fire.  Chips  and  fibre 
burned  in  lower  part,  charred  in  central,  and 
l  nearly  intact  near  the  beams 
I  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  23250.  Small 
J  breaks  in  the  blocks  exposed  the  X  bars  and 
beam  flanges.  White  coat  adhered  to  ceiling 
1  blocks. 

5  hours  Maximum  temperature,  2100°.  Tiles 
were  broken  in  places  under  the  flanges  of 
the  beams,  exposing  them  partly.  Between 

^  the  beams,  six  of  the  tiles  had  their  lower 
portions  broken  by  the  force  of  the  water. 
The  arches  were  otherwise  in  good  condition 
after  the  test. 

(  17 /r  of  the  bricks  were  injured  and  some  of  the 
J  X  bars  had  sagged  considerably.  5  hours. 
[  Maximum  temperature,  2300°. 
t  Underside  of  concrete  washed  away  up  to  the 
tie- rods.  Beam  protection  crumbled  away. 

(  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  22500. 

(  5  hours  Maximum  temperature,  2150°.  C011- 

J  Crete  at  center  washed  out  one  inch  above 
j  expanded  metal  and  exposed  the  beam 
[  flanges. 

|  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature  2200°.  Con- 
J  crete  and  plaster  washed  off  and  expanded 
j  metal  cloth  removed  in  places  by  fire  and 
{  water. 

|  6  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  25250.  Under 
the  influence  of  the  heat,  the  center  of  the 
floor  rose  71'''.  After  firing,  the  arch  was 
J  in  excellent  condition.  None  of  the  tiles 
)  fallen,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  cracks. 
The  water  caused  cracking  and  falling  of 
the  lower  course  of  tiles  The  bricks  in 
many  places  were  vitrified  by  the  heat. 

|  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  19750.  Beams 
J  and  concrete  were  red  hot.  Wire  netting 
burned  off  in  the  arch  Arches  in  good 
l  condition. 

6  hours  Maximum  temperature  not  recorded. 
35%  of  the  blocks  cracked  and  the  lower 
section  of  some  broke  off  to  a  depth  of  about 

i  zA"  ■  One  block  dropped  out  of  its  arch. 
All  soffit  tiles  fell  except  those  nearest  the 
walls.  Grates  melted.  After  cooling,  the 
arch  was  tested  with  a  load  of  1,960  lbs  per 
sq.  ft.,  with  a  deflection  of  3  41". 

(  5  hours  Maximum  temperature,  22  o°.  Wood- 
J  en  sleepers  charred.  Concrete  floor  washed 
1  off  up  to  bars.  Beam  protection  washed 
{  away  cleanly. 

|  3  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  2200°.  Grates 
melted  A  majority  of  the  tiles  cracked  and 
{  from  many  of  these  the  lower  part  had 
broken  off.  When  the  water  struck  the  hot 
1  tiles,  large  pieces  cracked  and  fell  off. 
f  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  2200°.  Plaster 
]  and  part  of  beam  flange  protection  dropped 
)  off  during  the  firing.  Concrete  arch  washed 
[  off,  exposing  the  rods. 

I  5  hours.  Maximum  temperature,  23250.  Floor 
J  intact.  Ceiling  in  good  shape  after  firing, 
but  washed  off  by  hose  stream  and  sheet 
(  metal  exposed  uninjured. 


No. 


Summary  of  Within  Test  Records 


IMPACT  TESTS 


No.  Weight 

Distance 

Dropped 

No.  of  Times 
Dropped 

Effect 

I  205 

2 '  O "  to  4'  IO" 

3 

No  visible  effect . 

2  205 

5/  0" 

Repeatedly 

Cut  into  composition.  No 
wires  broken, . 

3  205 

5'  0" 

5 

Shattered  board  at  second  blow 
and  cut  wires  at  fifth,  .  .  . 

4  205 

4'  0"  to  5'  6" 

9 

Two  wires  broken  and  weight 
went  through  floor,  .... 

5  155 

6'  0" 

10 

Three  wires  broken, . 

6  155 

g/  0" 

5 

Three  wires  broken . 

FIRE  TESTS  OF  SECTIONS  OF  FLOOR 


Size  of  Furnace 


Time 


Load 

per  sq.  ft. 


Effect 


1 

5/6//  x 

5'X" 

2  h.  50  min. 

200 

lbs.,  . 

Affected  to  a  depth 

1/// 

of 

about 

2 

S'6H" 

x  3'iX" 

5  hrs. 

150 

lbs.,  . 

72  )  ; . 

Deflection,  1  3-22//,  . 

3 

5' 2  %" 

x  12' 6%" 

IYa  hrs. 

Affected  to  a  depth 

. 

No  visible  effect,  .  . 

of 

about 

4 

5/o//  x 

4'7  " 

1  hr. 

5 

I4'4*  > 

I4/2// 

5  ffrs. 

150 

lbs.,  . 

Affected  to  a  depth 

1", . 

No  appreciable  effect, 

of 

about 

6 

5'6"x  2'6'4" 

3%  hrs. 

rv 

O 

O 

lbs  ,  . 

7 

18  square  feet 

8 

7'o"  x 

1 2  /o// 

6‘/2  hrs. 

3°° 

lbs.,  .  . 

Affected  to  a  depth 

varying 

i  hr. 


1 2  'o"  x  i6/o// 

5  hrs. 

150  and  after 

fire  test  600 

i2'o"  X  I6T/' 

5  hrs. 

150  and  after 

fire  test  600 

from  ‘4V/  to 
On  permanent  floor,  showed 
good  results,  . 

( Metropolitan  Floor. )  De¬ 
flection,  .36  in.  Paint  on 
beams  still  fresh  and  bright, 


flection,  1.84  in.  Paint  on 
beams  blistered  and  de¬ 
stroyed . 


54 


SUMMARY  OF  WITHIN  TESTS 


FIRE  TESTS  ON  SMALL  BLOCKS  TO  DETERMINE  THE  COMPARATIVE  FIRE 
RESISTING  QUALITIES  OF  METROPOLITAN  MATERIAL  AND  HOLLOW 
TILE  OF  HARD  BURNT  CLAY,  ETC. 

7  Tests  made  at  Harrison,  N.  J.,  in  a  Crucible  and  in  a  Heating  Furnace, 
showed  that  the  Metropolitan  material  is  more  infusible  than  Hard  Burnt  or 
Porous  Terra  Cotta  Tile. 

4  Tests  made  at  Trenton  and  i  Test  made  in  New  York  show'ed  similar 
results. 


TESTS  TO  DETERMINE  STRENGTH 


No. 

lengths  of 

Spans 

l,oad  in  pounds 
per  sq.  ft. 

Effect 

32  were 

Varying  from 

Ranging  from 

Not  all  tested  to 

made 

3'9r/  to  8/o// 

420  to  2302 

destruction 

Of  the  above,  4  were  made  in  sections  in  place  in  buildings  in  New  York 
City,  and  on  the  result  of  these  tests  the  system  was  passed  for  these  buildings 
by  the  Board  of  Examiners. 

TESTS  TO  SHOW  PROTECTION  AFFORDED  TO  IRON  RODS  IMBEDDED  IN 

METROPOLITAN  COMPOSITION 


No. 

Size  of  Block 

Diam.  of 
Rod  in 
inches 

Time  in 

Effect 

in  inches 

Furnace 

1 

3x6)4x12)4' 

A 

10)4  Mill. 

Rod  cool  enough  to  hold  in 
the  hand, . 

2 

3x6)4x12)4 

A 

ii  Min. 

Rod  cool  enough  to  hold  in 
the  hand, . 

3 

4)4x12x8 

24 

Fong  enough 
to  melt  cast 

Rod  cool  when  taken  out,  . 

4 

3x12x12 

% 

iron 

10  Min. 

As  cool  as  when  put  in,  .  . 

5 

4)4x12X12 

H 

8  Min. 

Rod  cool  enough  to  hold  in 
the  hand, . 

6 

4x8x12 

H 

10  Min. 

Rod  cool  enough  to  hold  in 
the  hand, . 

7 

4)4x8xi2 

1 1  5-6  Min. 

Rod  was  cooler  than  tern- 

perature  of  the  atmos¬ 
phere  when  taken  from 
furnace, . 


4)4x8x12  )4  19  Min.  Rod  cool  enough  to  hold  in 

the  hand, . . 


8 


COMPARATIVE  FIRE  TESTS  OF  METROPOLITAN  MATERIAL  AND  HOLLOW  TILE  OF  HARD  BURNT  CLAY,  ETC. 


SUMMARY  OF  WITHIN  TESTS 


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12  Common  hard  brick,  Annealing  furnace,  .  .  34  min.  i . Easily  broken  with  small  hammer, 


SUMMARY  OF  WITHIN  TESTS 


EVIDENCE  THAT  METROPOLITAN  COMPOSITION  WILL  NOT  CORRODE 
WIRE  AND  THAT  WATER  WILL  NOT  AFFECT  THE  MATERIAL 

No.  1 — -Soaked  section  of  floor  loaded  with  330  lbs.  without  breaking... 

No.  2 — Block  soaked  in  water  over  70  hours;  was  then  placed  on  wires 
and  loaded  800  lbs.  to  the  square  foot  without  wires  cutting 
into  it  . 

No.  3 — Block  made  three  years,  soaked  and  dried  repeatedly — wires 
showed  no  signs  of  corrosion  . 

No.  4 — Opinion  of  Mr.  John  Rogers,  maker  of  “Rogers’  Groups”  of 
statuary  . 

No.  5 — Opinion  of  an  expert  chemist  . 


Official  Comparative  Tests 

of  the 

Metropolitan  and  Hollow  Tile  Floors 

for 

Building  Department,  New  York  City 


The  following  are  copies  of  the  reports  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Buildings  of  New  York  City,  on  the  Comparative  Tests  of  the 
Metropolitan  and  Hollow  Tile  Floors: 

Department  of  Buildings, 

[copy.]  Xo.  220  Fourth  Avenue, 

New  York,  July  2 2d,  1897. 
Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company, 

No.  8/j  Broadway,  New  York. 

Gentlemen  :  The  following  is  a  report  in  detail  of  the  Met¬ 
ropolitan  Floor  Construction,  tested  by  hre  and  water.  May 
20th,  1897,  which  incorporates  the  reports  of  the  several  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  Building  Department  present  during  the  progress 
of  the  construction  of  test  structure,  conducting  of  the  fire  and 
water  test,  and  of  the  subsequent  600-pound  test,  accompanied  by 
detail  drawings  and  photographs  of  tests. 

Location  of  Test  Structure. 

The  above  test  structure  was  located  on  the  vacant  lot  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Sixty-eighth  street  and  Avenue  A,  New  York 
City,  24'  8 /Y’  from  curb  on  Avenue  A  and  63'  5y>"  from  curb  on 
Sixty-eighth  street. 

Drawings  Showing  Construction  of  Test  Structure. 

Drawing  No.  112  shows  a  plan  of  brick  walls  and  grates,  a  plan 
of  the  framing  for  test  floor,  a  plan  of  the  finished  floor  as  tested, 
a  general  section  parallel  with  the  1  beams  and  a  section  perpen¬ 
dicular  to  them,  and  an  elevation  of  the  test  structure. 

Drawing  No.  113  gives  a  complete  planning  of  the  iron  fram¬ 
ing  at  a  scale  of  1"  to  V,  with  sizes  and  weights  indicated,  accom¬ 
panied  by  1 1 -size  details  of  the  beam  connections. 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Drawing  Xo.  107  gives  a  J/4-size  detail  of  the  central  arch  of 
the  test  structure,  which  shows  the  general  construction  of  this 
floor  system. 

Foundation  of  Test  Structure. 

The  hrick  walls  of  the  test  structure  were  started  on  a  concrete 
foundation,  which  had  a  depth  of  10"  and  a  projection  beyond 
each  side  wall  of  about  9". 


Walls. 


The  walls,  enclosing  a  space  of  11'  by  14'  and  10'  high,  in 
the  clear,  the  size  adopted  for  this  series  of  tests,  were  uniformly 
12"  thick.  They  were  re-enforced  at  the  corners  and  at  inter¬ 
mediate  points  on  the  sides  by  12"  buttresses  and  a  system  of  huck- 
stavs  consisting  of  I  beams  and  rods  supporting  upright  braces 
between  buttresses,  the  horizontal  stays  being  firmly  secured 
around  the  structure  at  about  the  level  of  the  bottom  of  the  floor 
system.  (See  Drawing  No.  112.)  Two  walls  on  interior,  2'  11" 
high,  supported  the  grate  bars  and  formed  flues  for  furnishing  air 
to  the  fire,  were  16"  thick  up  to  the  level  of  the  lower  grates,  and 
8"  thick  from  that  point  to  level  of  upper  grates,  a  distance  of 
18".  The  side  walls  supporting  grates  were  correspondingly  8" 
and  4"  thick. 

The  spaces  between  these  walls  below  the  grates  formed  the 
ash-pits  of  the  furnace.  Air  to  support  combustion  was  admitted 
to  these  pits  through  openings  in  walls  at  each  end  of  same. 
These  openings  were  2'  6"  high  and  3'  wide,  the  flow  of  air  through 
same  being  controlled  by  sheet-iron  dampers. 

Mortar. 

The  mortar  used  in  laying  walls  was  a  common  Portland 
cement  and  lime  mortar. 


Grates. 

There  were  two  tiers  of  grate-bars,  one  18"  above  the  other. 
These  bars  were  flat  bars,  )A"  by  3",  set  in  the  walls  6"  between 
centers.  (See  Drawing  Xo.  112.) 


59 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Flues. 

Flues  15"  square  were  built  in  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the 
test  structure.  These  were  carried  up  to  a  height  of  about  6'  above 
the  top  of  the  floor  level.  Pieces  of  sheet  iron  were  used  to  cover 
the  top  of  flues  to  regulate  draught. 

Floor  Beams. 

The  floor  beams.  10",  25  lb.,  Carnegie  roll,  moment  of  inertia 
122.1,  lawful  bending  moment  30,525'  lbs.,  and  as  used  in  above 
structure,  will  lawfully  carry  a  uniformly  distributed  load  of  311 
lbs.  per  square  foot. 

There  were  four  in  number  and  set  4'  between  centers,  with  a 
clear  span  of  14',  secured  with  two  Y\"  tie-rods  in  each  bay.  The 
ends  of  beams  were  securely  fastened  to  angle-irons  which  were 
placed  across  their  ends,  which  in  turn  were  fastened  to  channels 
which  ran  alongside  of  the  outside  beams.  (See  Drawing  Xo. 
113.) 

Metal  Work  in  Arch. 

The  material  of  the  arch  is  a  composition  of  plaster  and  other 
material,  moulded  out  of  a  network  of  wire  cables.  The  lower 
flanges  of  the  I  beams  were  covered  with  wire  cloth,  while  wire 
cloth  enveloped  entirely  the  angle-irons  supporting  the  smoke  flues. 
Below  the  floor  beams  and  running  at  right  angles  to  them  were 
suspended  from  the  flanges  of  the  beams,  by  means  of  special 
supports,  1"  by  iron  bars.  These  bars  were  placed  16"  between 
centers  and  supported  the  wire  mesh  to  which  the  plastering  is 
applied. 

Galvanized  iron  cables,  composed  of  two  wires  3/32"  diam¬ 
eter,  were  stretched  across  the  whole  floor,  2"  apart,  and  the  ends 
secured  to  the  two  outside  beams  by  means  of  hooks  over  the 
upper  flanges  of  same. 

In  the  middle  of  each  span  between  the  floor  beams  and  run¬ 
ning  parallel  to  them  were  laid  44  round  bars  on  top  of  the 
cables.  These  bars  were  then  forced  down  until  nearly  touching 
the  centering  for  arch,  which  had  been  previously  placed,  and  then 
tied  to  the  1"  by  bars  below  the  flanges  by  means  of  wires. 

I  bis  operation  stretched  the  cables  until  very  taut. 


6o 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Material  of  Arch. 

Centering  for  arch  was  placed  about  4"  below  the  top  of  beams, 
and  centering  also  placed  around  lower  flange  of  beams  so  that 
they  should  be  covered  to  a  depth  of  about  2"  with  the  material  of 
arch.  Slabs  of  the  material  were  placed  against  the  web  of  the 
beams  and  plastered  in. 

The  material  arch  composed  by  weight  of 

Plaster  of  paris  .  7 5  per  cent. 

Wood  chip  .  20 

Cocoanut  fibre .  2p2  “ 

Asbestos  .  2p2  “ 

This  material  came  to  the  job  already  mixed,  in  bags  of  100 
lbs.  each.  When  ready  to  use  it  was  mixed  with  water  to  con¬ 
sistency  of  ordinary  building  mortar,  and  immediately  dumped 
into  place  and  rammed  with  shovel,  setting  in  about  15  minutes. 
This  mixture  extended  above  top  of  beams  about  *4",  so  that  the 
wire  cables  were  entirely  covered. 

Sleepers. 

Sleepers  2"  by  4”,  with  beveled  sides,  were  laid  on  May  14th, 
at  right  angles  to  I  beams  18"  between  centers. 

The  concrete  fill  between  sleepers  composed  of : 

8  parts  of  boiler  ash. 

1  part  of  Cow  Bay  sand. 

1  part  of  Atlas  cement. 

These  materials  were  well  shoveled  and  mixed  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  water  to  give  same  a  proper  consistency,  and  was  then 
well  rammed  between  sleepers.  (See  Iffiotograph  No.  1,278.) 

Ceiling. 

Ceiling  was  plastered  on  May  3d  and  4th.  Two  coats  were  put 
on,  first  a  brown  coat,  about  thick,  composed  of  one  part 
plaster  of  paris  and  two  parts  of  machine-made  mortar,  furnished 
by  the  United  States  Mortar  Supply  Company;  second,  a  white 
coat  about  J/&"  thick,  composed  of  plaster  of  paris. 

Time  for  Setting  of  Arch. 

The  plaster  arch  was  put  in  place  on  April  13th,  1897.  The 
concrete  fill  was  put  in  place  on  April  14th,  1897.  The  fire  test 
was  made  on  May  20th,  1897,  thus  allowing  37  days  for  setting 
of  plaster  and  36  days  for  setting  of  concrete  fill. 


6 1 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Protection  During  Setting. 

A  shed  roof  of  boards  covered  with  tarred  paper  served  to 
protect  floor  from  the  weather  during  the  period  of  setting,  and  a 
coal  fire  was  burned  on  the  inside  of  house  for  several  days  to 
assist  in  drying  out  the  work. 

Loading  for  Fire  Test. 

The  central  bay  of  the  floor  was  loaded  with  pig-iron,  to  150 
lbs.  per  square  foot,  placed  in  seven  piles  along  whole  length  of  the 
bay.  and  so  distributed  that  all  the  load  came  on  that  part  of  the 
floor  between  the  beams.  From  observations  taken  before  and 
after  loading,  the  floor  was  found  to  deflect  under  same  .04  of  an 
inch. 

Fuel  and  Manner  of  Firing. 

The  fuel  used  was  cord-wood,  which  was  piled  on  the  upper 
grates  to  a  thickness  of  about  2'.  Shavings  were  placed  in  the 
grates  under  the  wood  to  start  fire.  Kerosene  was  used  on  wood 
before  fire  was  lighted.  Fuel  was  added  to  fire  through  openings 
in  west  and  north  walls  at  intervals,  when  needed. 

Means  of  Observing  Temperatures  and  Deflections. 

The  temperatures  during  test  were  noted  bv  means  of  the 
Pneumatic  Pyrometer,  made  by  Messrs.  Uehling,  Steinbart  &  Co., 
of  Newark,  N.  J.  Temperature  plates  containing  plugs  of  lead, 
aluminum,  glass,  copper  and  cast-iron  were  also  used. 

Deflections  were  noted  by  means  of  the  transit  leveled  at  scales, 
mounted  upon  iron  rods  set  up  at  the  east  and  west  ends  and 
center  of  floor. 

Program  of  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

Fire  to  be  applied  continuously  for  5  hours.  A  temperature  of 
2,000  to  2,100  deg.  Fahr.  to  he  maintained  for  the  last  4  hours, 
endeavoring  to  secure  at  one  interval,  if  possible,  a  temperature 
of  2,200  deg.  Fahr. 

At  the  expiration  of  5  hours,  water  to  be  applied  through  an 
\l/$"  nozzle  with  60  lbs.  pressure  to  the  interior  for  15  minutes; 
during  the  first  5  minutes  of  which  water  to  be  directed  against 
the  ceiling,  and  during  the  remaining  10  minutes,  against  the 
walls  and  ceiling,  principally  the  latter.  Then  the  water  was  to 
he  shut  off  on  the  inside  and  applied  to  the  to])  of  the  floor  for  5 
minutes  under  a  low  pressure,  flooding  same,  and  again  returning 
to  the  inside  of  the  structure  and  applied  to  grates  to  entirely 
extinguish  the  fire. 


62 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Atmospheric  Te m  per atu r es. 

The  average  atmospheric  temperature  on  the  day  of  test,  dur¬ 
ing  hours  of  tire,  was  64  F.,  wind  from  southeast. 

Log  of  the  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

Log  of  tire  and  water  test,  with  a  load  of  150  lbs.  per  sq.  ft., 
uniformly  distributed  over  centre  arch. 


10.22 
10.26 
10.28 
IO.  30 

10.31 

10.32 
IO.36 
IO.38 
IO.43 
IO.45 


10.47 
10.50 

10.54 

10-55 

10.58 

10.59 

II. OO 

II.04 

11. 14 

11. 15 
II.  l6 
11.20 
11.25 
11.27 
11.30 

”•33 
1 1.42 
11.44 

”•45 

11.47 
11.50 
11.56 

12.00 

12.09 


Time 


A.M. 

4  ( 

<  4 


4  4 
4  4 
4  4 
4  4 

4  4 


4  4 


4  4 
4  4 


M 

P.M 


Remarks 


1100 

1150 

1050 

1275 

1075 

1275 

1525 

1450 

1575 

1650 

1800 

1850 

1850 

1900 


1900 

1925 

1900 

1900 

1950 

1800 


2000 

I9'5 

1850 


1850 


2000 

1875 

1875 

1825 


Fire  started. 
Lead  melted. 


.  10 


Piece  of  plaster  fell  off. 


Aluminum  plug  bent  down. 
Glass  softening. 


.10 


Glass  bent  with  aluminum  resting  on  top  of 
it. 

Glass  plug  laying  down. 

Bright  fire  inside,  and  portion  of  plaster 
falling  off  east  wall. 

Bright  flame. 

Ceiling  in  good  shape. 


.  .  Oil  added  to  grate  fires  to  assist  combus¬ 
tion. 

.11  Copper  plug  still  standing,  but  reduced  in 
size. 

.  .  Copper  plug  gone.  In  the  two  end  pits  of 
the  south  wall  the  fire  did  not  burn  well. 


.16 


Cast-iron  plug  at  bright  red  heat. 


Firing  through  west  door. 

Firing  through  west  door  discontinued. 


”9 


Firing  through  west  opening. 


.20 


Firing  discontinued. 


.  .  Ceiling  warped  but  not  cracked.  C.  I.  plug 
still  standing. 

.235  Second  bar  put  in  with  copper  and  cast-iron. 

.  .  .  Copper  plug  melted.  Here  it  is  shown  that 
temperature  indicated  by  pyrometer  is  less 
than  the  melting  point  of  copper,  and  yet 
copper  melted  readily,  doubtless  indicating 
a  varied  temperature  at  different  corners. 


63 


jj  Oj  Oj  Oj 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Time 

Temper¬ 
ature 
Deg.  F. 

Deflec¬ 

tions 

Inches 

Remarks 

12.15  P.M  .  . 

O 

»o 

CO 

•19 

Plaster  still  intact.  Firing  through  west 

12.18  “  .... 

opening. 

Firing  discontinued. 

12.27  “  .... 

1850 

. 

Cast-iron  softening. 

r  2.30  “  .... 

1875 

.2  1 

Re-firing  west  opening. 

12.44  “  .... 

12.45  “  •  •  • 

1875 

.21 

12.55  “  ... 

1825 

Second  bar  taken  out.  cast-iron  plug  stand- 

12  56  “  .... 

1775 

mg. 

Ceiling  warped,  but  not  cracked  or  broken. 

12  58  “  ... 

1825 

Bricked  up  opening  at  north  of  structure 

1. 00  “  .... 

1675 

.22 

from  which  second  bar  was  taken. 

1.06  “  .... 

Pyrometer  tube  taken  from  south  end  of 

1.08  “  .... 

structure. 

Pyrometer  tube  inserted  in  newly  bricked- 

1. 12  “  .... 

1  15  “  .... 

1700 

.22 

up  hole  at  north  end  of  structure. 

Firing  west  opening. 

1. 18  “  .... 

Firing  discontinued. 

1.29  “  .... 

1825 

1.30  “  .... 

1800 

•23 

1. 31  “  .... 

1-35  “  .... 

1780 

1650 

1  36  “  .... 

Firing  through  north  opening. 

1.38  “  .... 

1.43  “  .... 

1950 

Firing  discontinued. 

1.45  “  .... 

2050 

•23 

Firing  through  west  opening. 

1.59  “  .... 

2.00  “  .... 

1700 

.22 

2.05  “  .  . 

Firing  discontinued. 

2.12  “  .... 

2100 

2.15  “  .... 

1950 

.26 

2.18  "  .... 

Firing  through  west  opening. 

2  24  “  .... 

1875 

Firing  through  west  opening  discontinued. 

2  30  “  ... 

.27 

2-35  “  .... 

Firing  through  west  door. 

238  “  .  .  .  . 

Firing  through  west  door  discontinued. 

2.45  “  .... 

I75t> 

•  31 

2.48  “  .  . 

Firing  through  west  opening. 

2-55  “  .... 

Firing  discontinued.  Third  flat  bar  to  which 

3.00  “  .... 

1825 

•34 

was  attached  temperature  plate,  put  in 
south  opening,  from  which  pyrometer 
tube  had  been  removed,  but  bar  soon 
heated  and  bent  down,  rendering  same 
unserviceable. 

3.10  “  .  .  .  . 

1800 

Third  plug  bar  removed,  cast-iron  plug 

3.20  “  .... 

•36 

alone  was  standing. 

3. 22  y>  “  .  .  . 

Water  on  ceiling. 

3  27^  “  .... 

Water  off  ceiling  and  applied  to  side  walls 

3-37.54  “  •  •  •  ■ 

and  ceiling. 

Water  off  side  walls  and  ceiling. 

3-4oI/2  “  .  .  .  . 

Water  on  roof. 

3-45  54  “  .  .  .  . 

Water  off  roof. 

3-47/4  “  •  ■  •  • 

Water  on  grates. 

3  49,54  “  .  .  .  . 

■  • 

Water  shut  off. 

64 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Witnesses  of  the  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

The  test  was  witnessed  by  Messrs.  Edward  Cooper,  Charles  E. 
Hewitt,  Edmund  Ketchnm,  H.  A.  Greene,  J.  P.  Anderson,  George 

B.  Post,  F.  C.  Thomas,  Tysilio  Thomas,  John  H.  Banks,  Ph.D., 
and  Amory  Coffin,  representing  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company  ;  Howard  Constable,  E.  H.  Peck,  Surveyor  of  the  Con¬ 
tinental  Fire  Insurance  Company,  representing  Mr.  Moore,  of  same 
company;  J.  \V.  and  E.  W.  Rapp,  of  the  Rapp  Floor  Construction; 
A.  L.  A.  Himmelwright,  of  John  A.  Roebling’s  Sons  Company; 

C.  S.  Hill,  of  the  Engineering  News ;  Walter  S.  Faddis,  represent¬ 
ing  Robinson  &  Wallace ;  Messrs.  Merrill  Watson  and  Mr.  Merritt, 
of  the  Central  Expanded  Metal  Company;  Mr.  R.  W.  Allison,  of 
the  Central  Fireproofing  Company;  Messrs.  Hewitt  and  Moffitt, 
agents  for  the  J.  W.  Rapp  Floor;  Messrs.  Ross  F.  Tucker  and 
W.  N.  Wight,  of  the  Manhattan  Concrete  Company;  Messrs.  E.  A. 

eMing  and  Mr.  Steinbart,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  manufacturers  of 
Pneumatic  Pyrometer  used ;  members  of  the  Police  and  Fire  De¬ 
partments  ;  representing  the  Department  of  Buildings,  were  Acting 
Second  Deputy  Superintendent  F.  M.  Rutherford,  Messrs.  J.  B. 
Nau,  Isaac  Harby,  R.  B.  Post,  David  H.  Baldwin,  S.  O.  Miller, 
John  W.  Cuthbertson,  A.  E.  Moore  and  William  W.  Ewing,  engi¬ 
neer  in  charge,  and  on  the  dav  after  fire  floor  was  inspected  by 
O.  H.  Kingsland,  Surveyor  of  the  New  York  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters. 

Effects  of  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

An  examination  of  the  ceiling  after  fire  showed  that  the  ceiling 
was  down  in  most  parts  of  the  test  structure,  except  near  the 
north  wall  and  in  the  northeast  and  northwest  corners.  Here  it 
was  in  a  warped  and  hanging  condition,  being  in  several  places  two 
or  three  inches  below  its  original  position.  The  wire  mesh  on  the 
center  and  south  bays  was  partially  gone.  The  beam  protection 
on  the  two  center  beams  was  gone  except  for  a  short  distance  at 
each  end  of  beam.  It  was  noticed  that  the  paint  was  still  to  be 
seen  on  these  beams  in  the  places  where  the  beam  protection  had 
come  off.  Material  of  arch  between  beams  was  washed  away  in 
some  places  so  as  to  expose  wire  cables.  A  piece  of  material  was 


6  5 


NEW  YORK  EIRE  TEST 


removed  from  around  lower  flange  of  beam,  and  it  was  here 
observed  that  in  these  pieces  all  combustible  material,  such  as 
wood,  chips  and  cocoanut  fiber,  were  burned  in  the  lower  region, 
charred  to  the  central  part  and  nearly  intact  in  the  region  imme¬ 
diately  in  contact  until  the  beam.  The  material  in  center  bay  where 
stream  of  water  did  not  reach  was  soft  to  a  certain  depth  pene¬ 
trated  by  a  shaft  stick  to  a  depth  varying  between  1"  and 


600- Pound  Load  Test. 

On  May  22d  the  center  bay  of  the  floor  was  loaded  with  pig- 
iron,  evenly  distributed  over  whole  area  between  beams,  to  600 
lbs.  per  square  foot.  The  load  was  so  placed  that  none  of  it  came 
directly  on  the  beams.  From  readings  taken  before  and  48  hours 
after  the  application  of  load  it  was  found  that  the  center  of  bay 
had  deflected  .26  of  an  inch. 


Witnesses  of  600-Pound  Load  Test. 

600-pound  load  test  was  witnessed  by  I.  Hardy,  of  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Buildings,  and  Mr.  H.  A.  Greene,  of  the  New  Jersey 
Steel  and  Iron  Company. 

Permanent  Set  of  Beams. 

After  fire  and  water  and  load  test  the  upper  flange  of  the  two 
center  beams  was  stripped  of  all  material  and  the  permanent 
deflection  of  same  measured  and  found  to  be :  for  the  north  beam, 
none ;  for  the  south  beam,  none. 


List  of  Photographs. 

No.  1,273,  Metropolitan  lest.  Moor  in  process  of  construc¬ 
tion.  11:45  A.  M.,  April  13th,  1897.  (Looking  north.) 

No.  1,276,  Metropolitan  Test.  Arches  partly  in.  2:15  P.  M., 
April  13th,  1897.  (Looking  north.) 


66 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


No.  1,278,  Metropolitan  Test.  Concrete  fill  being  placed. 
11:25  A.  M.,  April  14th,  1897.  (Looking  north.) 

No.  1,329.  Metropolitan  Test.  General  view  during  fire, 
11  :45  A.  M.,  May  20th,  1897.  (Looking  west.) 

No.  1,332,  Metropolitan  Test.  Firemen  applying  water  on 
interior.  3:25  P.  M.,  May  20th,  1897.  (Looking  southwest.) 

No.  1,342,  Metropolitan  Test.  Northeast  corner  of  ceiling 
after  fire.  10:50  A.  M.,  May  21st,  1897.  (Looking  up.  ) 

Rough  sketch  of  appearance  of  ceiling  on  the  day  after  fire 
and  water  test. 

A  ery  respectfully, 

(  Signed  )  Stevenson  Constable, 

Superintendent  of  Buildings. 

Department  of  Buildings. 

[copy.]  No.  220  Fourth  Avenue, 

New  York,  July  22d,  1897. 
Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company, 

No.  S/g  Broadway,  New  York. 

Gentlemen  :  I  desire  to  extend  to  you  a  copy  of  the  report 
in  detail  of  the  10"  Hard  Burned  Hollow  Tile  Floor  Construction, 
tested  with  fire  and  water  May  20th,  1897,  which  incorporates  the 
reports  of  the  several  representatives  of  the  Building  Department 
present  during  the  progress  of  construction  of  test  structure,  con¬ 
ducting  of  the  fire  and  water  test  and  of  the  subsequent  600-pound 
load  test,  accompanied  by  detail  drawings  and  photographs  of  test. 

Location  of  Test  Structure. 

The  structure  in  which  this  test  was  made  was  located  on  a 
vacant  lot  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Sixty-eighth  street  and  Avenue 
A,  New  York  City,  24'  2jd"  from  the  curb  line  of  Avenue  A,  and 
41'  4 /"  from  the  curb  line  of  East  Sixty-eighth  street. 

Drawings  Showing  Construction  of  'Test  Structure. 

Drawing  No.  Ill  shows  a  plan  of  the  brick  walls  and  grates,  a 
plan  of  the  framing  for  test  floor,  a  plan  of  the  finished  floor  as 

67 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


tested,  a  general  section  parallel  with  the  I  beams  and  a  section 
perpendicular  to  them,  and  an  elevation  of  the  test  structure. 

Drawing  Xo.  110  gives  a  complete  planning  of  the  iron  fram¬ 
ing  at  a  scale  of  1"  to  1',  with  sizes  and  weights  indicated,  accom¬ 
panied  by  ze  details  of  the  beam  connections. 

Drawing  Xo.  103  gives  a  1 4-size  detail  of  the  center  arch  of 
the  test  structure,  which  shows  the  general  construction  of  this 
door  system. 


Foundation  of  Test  Structure. 

All  four  walls  of  the  test  structure  rested  on  a  bed  of  concrete, 
of  average  width,  of  2'  4"  by  8"  deep. 

Walls. 

The  walls  enclosing  a  space  of  11'  by  14',  and  10'  high  in  the 
clear, .the  size  adopted  for  this  series  of  tests,  were  uniformly 
12"  thick.  They  were  re-enforced  by  a  system  of  buck-stays 
placed  just  below  the  level  of  ceiling,  with  upright  braces  on 
each  side. 

Two  walls  on  interior.  2'  11"  high,  supporting  the  grate-bars 
and  form-flues  for  furnishing  air  to  the  fire,  were  16”  thick  up  to 
the  level  of  the  top  of  the  lower  grates,  and  8"  thick  from  that  point 
to  top  of  upper  grates,  a  distance  of  18”.  The  side  walls  supporting 
grates  were  correspondingly  8”  and  4"  thick. 

The  spaces  between  these  walls  below  the  grates  formed  the 
ash-pits  of  the  furnace.  Air  to  support  combustion  was  admitted 
to  these  pits  through  openings  in  walls  at  each  end  of  same.  These 
openings  were  2'  6"  high,  and  3'  wide,  the  dow  of  air  through  same 
being  controlled  by  sheet-iron  dampers. 

Mortar. 

The  mortar  used  in  laying  walls  was  Portland  cement  mortar. 


Grates. 

There  were  two  tiers  of  grate-bars,  one  18"  above  the  other. 
These  bars  were  dat  bars,  3"  by  V2" ,  set  in  the  walls  6"  between 
centers.  (See  drawing  No.  111.) 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Flues. 


Flues  15"  square  were  built  in  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the 
test  structure.  These  were  carried  up  to  a  height  of  6'  above  the 
top  of  the  floor  level.  Pieces  of  sheet-iron  were  used  to  cover  top 
of  flues  to  regulate  draught. 


Floor  Beams. 

The  floor  beams  were  10",  25  lb.,  Carnegie  roll,  moment  of 
inertia,  122.1,  lawful  bending  moment,  30,525  ft.  lbs.,  and  as 
used  in  above  structure  will  lawfully  carry  a  uniformly  distributed 
load  of  311  lbs.  per  square  foot.  There  were  four  in  number  and 
set  4'  between  centers  with  a  clear  span  of  14',  secured  with  two 
ft  tie-rods  in  each  bay.  The  ends  of  beams  were  securely  fastened 
to  angle-irons,  which  were  placed  across  their  ends,  which  in  turn 
were  fastened  to  channels  which  ran  alongside  of  the  outside 
beams. 


Material  of  Arch. 

The  floor  arch  consists  of  a  hollow  tile  arch  10"  deep.  (See 
Photograph  No.  1,274  and  Drawing  No.  103.) 

Board  centering  was  suspended  lp)  below  bottom  of  beams 
to  receive  the  arch.  (See  Photograph  No.  1,269.)  Each  separate 
arch  contained  two  skew-backs,  four  voussoirs  and  one  key.  The 
transverse  joints  were  broken  as  much  as  possible.  Wherever 
a  tie-rod  of  the  floor  beams  did  not  fall  into  a  joint  a  corner 
was  knocked  off  the  tile  in  order  to  make  room  for  it.  If  the  tie- 
rod  came  too  far  away  from  the  joint,  a  tile  was  split  in  two,  and 
the  lower  part  was  stuck  under  the  tie-rod,  and  another  piece  was 
put  on  top  of  it.  These  hollow  spaces  were  filled  with  cement 
and  broken  pieces.  The  cement  mortar  used  contained  about 
one-half  sand.  The  joints  were  about  l/\”  thick.  Scarcely  any 
cement  was  put  in  the  transverse  joints,  in  some  cases  where 
there  was  much  space  between  the  joints  and  the  tie-rods  a  few 
bricks  were  put  in  to  fill  it  up. 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


The  arches  were  all  completed  at  11:30  A.  M.,  April  13th, 
1897.  (See  Photograph  Xo.  1,274.) 

Sleepers. 

On  May  14th  the  sleepers  and  concrete  filling-  were  laid. 
Sleepers  2"  by  4"  with  beveled  sides  were  laid  at  right  angles  to  1 
beams,  18”  between  centers. 

The  concrete  fill  between  sleepers  composed  of  : 

8  parts  of  boiler  ash. 

1  part  of  Cow  Bay  sand. 

1  part  of  Atlas  cement. 

These  materials  were  well  shoveled  and  mixed  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  water  to  give  same  a  proper  consistency  and  then  well 
rammed  between  sleepers. 


Ceiling. 


Ceiling  was  plastered  on  May  3d  and  4th.  Two  coats  were 
put  on.  first  a  brown  coat  about  thick,  composed  of  one  part 
plaster  of  paris  and  two  parts  of  machine-made  mortar,  furnished 
by  the  United  States  Mortar  Supply  Company ;  second,  a  white 
coat  about  l/s"  thick,  composed  of  plaster  of  paris. 

Time  for  Setting  of  Arch. 

The  hollow  tile  arch  was  put  in  place  on  April  13th,  1897.  The 
concrete  fill  was  put  in  place  on  April  14th,  1897.  The  fire  test 
was  made  on  May  20th,  thus  allowing  37  days  for  setting  of 
arch  and  36  days  for  setting  of  concrete  fill. 


Protection  During  Setting. 

A  shed-roof  of  boards  covered  with  tarred  paper  served  to 
protect  floor  from  the  weather  during  the  period  of  setting,  and 
a  coal  fire  was  burned  on  the  inside  of  house  for  several  days  to 
assist  in  drying  out  the  work. 

7° 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Loading  for  Fire  Test. 

The  central  bay  of  the  floor  was  loaded  150  lbs.  per  square 
foot,  with  pig-iron  placed  in  seven  piles  along  the  whole  length  of 
the  bay,  and  so  distributed  that  all  the  load  came  on  that  part  of 
the  floor  between  the  beams.  (See  Photograph  No.  1,321.)  From 
observations  taken  before  and  after  loading,  the  floor  showed  no 
deflection. 


Fuel  and  Manner  of  Firing. 

The  fuel  used  was  cord-wood,  which  was  fired  on  two  grates, 
one  above  the  other;  the  vertical  distance  between  them  was  18". 
The  cord-wood  was  piled  on  the  upper  grate  to  an  even  thickness 
of  24".  Shavings  and  kerosene  oil  were  used  to  start  the  fire. 
Fuel  was  added  at  intervals,  as  required,  through  west  and  south 
openings.  These  firings  were  sometimes  on  the  lower  and  some¬ 
times  on  the  upper  grates.  SJ/2  cords  of  wood  were  used. 

Means  of  Observing  Temperatures  and  Deflections. 

The  temperatures  during  test  were  noted  by  means  of  the 
Pneumatic  Pyrometer,  made  by  Messrs.  Uehling,  Steinbart  &  Co., 
of  Newark,  N.  J.  Temperature  plates  containing  plugs  of  lead, 
aluminum,  glass,  copper  and  cast-iron,  and  a  Platin-Rhodium 
Pyrometer  were  also  used.  Deflections  were  noted  by  means  of 
the  transit  leveled  at  scales  mounted  on  iron  rods  set  up  at  the 
east  and  west  ends  and  center  of  floor. 


Program  of  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

Fire  to  be  applied  continuously  for  five  hours.  A  temperature 
of  2,000  to  2,100  deg.  Fahr.  to  be  maintained  for  the  last  4  hours, 
endeavoring  to  secure  at  one  interval,  if  possible,  a  temperature 
of  2.300  deg.  Fahr.  At  the  expiration  of  5  hours  water  to  lie 
applied  through  a  1  yi"  nozzle,  with  60  lbs.  pressure,  to  the  interior 
for  15  minutes;  during  the  first  5  minutes  of  which  water  to  be 
directed  against  the  ceiling,  and  during  the  remaining  ten  minutes 
against  the  walls  and  ceiling,  principally  the  latter.  Then  the  water 
was  to  be  shut  off  on  the  inside  and  applied  to  the  top  of  the  floor 


7i 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


for  five  minutes  under  a  low  pressure,  flooding  same,  and  again 
returned  to  the  inside  of  the  structure  and  applied  to  grates  to 
entirely  extinguish  the  fire. 


Log  of  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

Log  of  fire  and  water  test  with  a  load  of  150  lbs.  per  sq.  ft. 
evenly  distributed  over  the  central  arch  : 


Time 

Temper¬ 
atures 
Deg.  F. 

Deflec¬ 

tions 

Inches 

10.22  A.M . 

10.25  “  .... 

II25 

10.30  “  .... 

1250 

10.32  “  .... 

1250 

10.35  “  .... 

.08 

10.40  ... 

1525 

10.44  >4  “  .... 

1650 

10.45  “  .... 

1625 

•31 

10.47  “  .... 

1675 

10.50  “  .... 

1825 

10.52  “  .... 

1900 

10.54  “  .... 

1900 

IO.55  “  ■  • 

1900 

10.58  “  .... 

2000 

II. 00  “  .... 

2oro 

•3« 

11. 15  “  • 

1950 

•37 

II. 16  “  .  . 

1950 

11-30  “  .... 

1975 

.41 

11.32  “  . 

11.40  “  .... 

2050 

II-45  “  .... 

2000 

•44 

11.48  “  ... 

1150  “  . 

11.59  “  ... 

12.00  31.  ... 

1850 

■52 

12  oi)4P.M.  .  . 

1850 

12.02  “  .... 

1850 

12.03  “ 

1850 

12.15  “  .... 

1775 

•  65 

12.20  “  .... 

12.22  “  .... 

12.27  “  .... 

1900 

12.50  “  .... 

1850 

•77 

12.45  “  .... 

1750 

•9i 

12.47  “  .... 

12  52  “  ... 

Remarks 


Fire  started. 

Lead  is  melting. 

Piece  of  plaster  fell  off. 
Aluminum  is  melting. 


Glass  is  melting. 

Glass  completely  melted. 


Bright  fire  inside. 


Ceiling  is  peeling  a  little  all  over. 


Copper  and  C.  I.  plugs  still  intact. 


Re-firing  west  opening. 

Firing  west  opening  discontinued. 
Copper  and  C.  I.  plugs  both  intact. 


Re-firing  west  opening. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 

First  rod  removed  with  C.  I.  and  copper 
plugs  intact.  The  copper  plugs  fell  out 
of  rod  after  being  removed,  and  seemed 
intact 


Second  rod  put  in. 

Lead  plug  melted. 

Aluminum  and  glass  plugs  melted. 

Re-firing  west  opening. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 
Copper  plugs  begin  to  melt,  C.  I.  intact. 
Copper  plug  melted. 

Re-firing  west  opening. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 


/  ^ 


Oj  Oj  O-i  Oj  OJ  Oj  0-> 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


m 

fc  ^ 

IT. 

S3  m 

A  .9  ^ 

Time 

e  v 
£  Q 

Defiei 

ti 

Inch 

1. 00  P.M . 

1850 

I.03 

1.05  i/z  “  .... 

1825 

1. 13  “  .... 

1600 

1. 15  “  .... 

1600 

I- 15 

1. 21  “  .... 

1500 

1.27  “ 

1.30  “  .... 

1600 

1.22 

i-34  “  .... 

1.45  “  .... 

1.48  “  .... 

1-50  “  .... 

1. 51  “  .... 

1.52  “  .... 

1.53  “  .... 

i-59  “  .... 

1675 

i-3° 

2.00  “  .... 

i675 

i-39 

2.05 

2.15 

<  ( 

....  1 900 

1.49 

2.24 

2.30 

4  4 

....  1 900 

1.60 

2-39 

2-45 

(  l 

....  1900 

1.66 

2-49 

i  ( 

....  2080 

2.50 

.  .  .  2100 

2  55 

<  k 

■  •  1975 

3.00 

t  < 

.  .  2000 

1.74 

3-09 

k  k 

■  •  1950 

3.10 

.  .  1 900 

3.20 

<  < 

1.84 

.22)4 


27/4  “ 
■2>7'/2  “ 

.41^  “ 


•46)4  “ 
.48 


Remarks 


It  was  noticed  that  ceiling  plaster  had  fallen 
down  in  many  places. 

Second  plug  bar  removed,  with  C.  I.  plug 
still  standing  intact. 


Rod  taken  out  of  south  opening. 

Rod  put  in  north  opening,  re-firing  west 
opening.  Preparations  were  now  made  to 
use  the  Platin-Rhodium  pyrometer. 


Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 


Firing  southwest  small  opening. 

Ceased  firing. 

Re-firing  southeast  small  opening. 

Ceased  firing. 

Firing  lower  grates  from  the  south. 

Re-firing  west  opening. 

At  this  time  a  comparison  of  readings  be¬ 
tween  the  two  pyrometers  (Platin-Rho- 
dium  and  Uehling),  and  the  agreement 
was  as  close  as  possible  to  make  readings. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 


Re-firing  west  opening. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 

Re-firing  west  opening. 

Re-firing  west  opening  discontinued. 

A  third  fla+  bar,  with  plug  bar  fastened  at 
its  end  in  the  direction  of  the  bar,  was  in¬ 
serted.  This  bar  bent  down  after  it  had 
been  observed  at  2.50. 

Read,  aluminum,  and  glass  plugs  had  melted. 

Bar  had  bent  too  far  for  any  further  obser¬ 
vations. 


Pyrometer  tube  taken  out.  Plug-bar  pulled 
out,  with  C.  I.  plug  still  standing  and 
copper  gone 

Water  put  on  at  an  average  pressure  of  60 
lbs.  The  water  stream  was  kept  playing 
over  the  ceiling  for  five  minutes. 

The  water  was  directed  on  ceiling  and  side 
walls,  but  mostly  ceiling. 

The  water  was  stopped  inside  the  structure. 

Water  under  hydrant  pressure  was  poured 
on  top  of  roof.  It  was  noticed  that  the 
roof  up  to  this  moment  showed  no  sign 
of  a  crack. 

Water  off  roof. 

Water  on  grate-bars  to  extinguish  fire. 

Water  shut  off. 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Atmospheric  Tem  peratures. 

The  average  temperature  observed  during  the  test  was  64  deg. 
Fahr.  The  wind  was  blowing  from  the  southeast. 

Witnesses  of  the  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

The  test  was  witnessed  by  Messrs.  Edward  Cooper,  Charles  E. 
Hewitt,  Edmund  Ketchum,  H.  A.  Greene,  J.  P.  Anderson,  George 
B.  Post,  F.  C.  Thomas,  Tysilio  Thomas,  John  H.  Banks,  Ph.D., 
and  Amorv  Coffin,  representing  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company;  Howard  Constable,  E.  H.  Peck,  Surveyor  of  the  Con¬ 
tinental  Fire  Insurance  Company,  representing  Mr.  Moore,  of  same 
company ;  Messrs.  J.  W.  and  F.  W.  Rapp,  of  the  Rapp  Floor  Con¬ 
struction  ;  A.  L.  A.  Himmelwright,  of  John  A.  Roebling’s  Sons 
Company;  C.  S.  Hill,  of  the  Engineering  News;  Walter  S.  Faddi>, 
representing  Robinson  &  Wallace;  Messrs.  Merrill  Watson  and  Mr. 
Merritt,  of  the  Central  Expanded  Metal  Company;  Mr.  R.  W.  Alli¬ 
son.  of  the  Central  Fireproofing  Company;  Messrs.  Hewitt  and 
Moffitt,  agents  for  the  J.  W.  Rap])  Floor;  Messrs.  Ross  F.  Tucker 
and  W.  N.  Wight,  of  the  Manhattan  Concrete  Company;  Messrs. 
E.  A.  Uehling  and  Mr.  Steinbart,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  manufacturers 
of  Pneumatic  Pyrometer  used;  members  of  the  Police  and  Fire  De¬ 
partments;  representing  the  Department  of  Buildings  were  Acting 
Second  Deputy  Superintendent  F.  M.  Rutherford,  Messrs.  J.  B. 
Nau,  Isaac  Harbv,  R.  B.  Post,  David  II.  Baldvm,  S.  O.  Miller. 
John  W.  Cuthbertson,  A.  E.  Moore  and  William  W.  Ewing,  engi¬ 
neer  in  charge,  and  on  the  day  after  tire  floor  was  inspected  by 
O.  H.  Kingsland,  Surveyor  of  the  New  York  Board  of  f  ire 
Underwriters. 

Effects  of  Fire  and  Water  Test. 

The  sketch  shows  the  appearance  of  the  floor  after  fire  and 
water  test.  In  this  sketch  only  the  places  where  some  of  the  tiles 
had  been  broken  off  under  the  stream  of  water  are  shown.  At  A 
the  lower  part  of  the  tiles  had  been  broken  away  by  the  water, 
the  inside  portions  of  the  tiles  were  exposed.  In  other  places 
directly  under  the  flanges  of  the  beams  the  tiles  were  broken  and 
exposed  the  flanges  partly.  The  ceiling  plaster  was  almost  all 
down,  even  where  not  struck  by  the  water.  Photograph  No.  1.337 
shows  the  celiing  after  the  fire. 


74 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


600- Pound  Load  Test. 

On  May  22d  the  central  hay  of  the  floor  was  loaded  with  pig- 
iron,  evenly  distributed  over  whole  area  between  beams,  to  600 
lbs.  per  square  foot.  The  load  was  so  placed  that  none  of  it  came 
directly  on  the  beams.  From  readings  taken  before  and  48  hours 
after  the  application  of  load  it  was  found  that  the  center  of  bay 
had  deflected  .22  of  an  inch. 

Witnesses  of  600- Pound  Load  Test. 

Isaac  Harby,  of  the  Department  of  Buildings,  and  H.  A. 
Greene,  of  the  New  Jersey  Steel  and  Iron  Company. 

Permanent  Set  of  Beams, 

The  permanent  set  of  beams  used  in  test  floor  to  the  fire,  water 
and  load  test  was  as  follows : 

On  north  central  beam  light  in  the  center. 

On  south  central  beam  3/16"  full  in  the  center. 

List  of  Photographs. 

No.  1,269,  Hard  Burned  Hollow  Tile  Test.  Iron  beams  and 
centering  in  place.  3:17  P.  M.,  April  12th,  1897.  (Looking 
southwest.) 

No.  1,274,  Hard  Burned  Hollow  Tile  Test.  Arches  in  place. 
12  2.1. ,  April  13th,  1897.  (Looking  west.  ) 

No.  1,321,  Hard  Burned  LIollow  Tile  Test.  Floor  loaded  laO 
lbs.  per  square  foot  just  before  firing.  9:45  A.  M.,  May  20th, 
1897.  ( Looking  southwest.) 

No.  1,337,  Hard  Burned  Hollow  Tile  Test.  Southeast  corner 
of  ceiling  after  fire.  11  :45  A.  M.,  May  21st,  1897.  (Looking  up.) 

No.  1,345,  Hard  Burned  Hollow  Tile  Test.  Floor  loaded  600 
lbs.  per  square  foot  after  fire.  10:55  A.  M.,  May  22d,  1897. 
(Looking  southwest.) 

Very  respectfully, 

(Signed)  Stevenson  Constable, 

Superintendent  of  Buildings. 


Report  of 
Ricketts  Sc  Banks 
on 

New  York  Fire  Test 


|  COPY.  ] 

Ricketts  &  Banks,  Pierre  de  P.  Ricketts,  E.M.,  Ph.D. 

Chemists,  Assayers  and  Mining  John  H.  Banks,  E.M.,  Ph.D. 

Engineers,  - 

104  John  Street.  E.  Rensham  Bush,  E.M., 

- — —  Associate  Mining  Engineer. 

Cable  Address,  “Ricketts,”  New  York. 

New  York,  June  1st,  1897. 

Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company, 

Broadway,  New  York. 

Gentlemen  :  In  accordance  with  your  request,  our  Dr.  Banks 
was  present  at  and  carefully  followed  the  tests  made  May  20th, 
to  determine  the  comparative  fire-resisting  qualities  of  hard-burnt 
hollow  clay  tile  and  the  fireproofing  material  prepared  by  your 
company. 

You  are  familiar  with  the  dimensions  and  construction  of  the 
two  houses,  or  ovens,  in  which  the  tests  were  made,  and  we  omit 
these  details  from  the  present  report.  The  two  buildings  appeared 
to  differ  only  in  the  construction  of  the  ceilings  and  overlying 
flooring,  these  being  constructed  in  one  house  according  to  your 
own  system  and  in  the  other  of  the  tile  already  described.  The 
temperatures  in  the  two  houses  were  measured  by  pneumatic  pyro¬ 
meters  of  the  same  make  (Uehling,  Steinbart  &  Co.),  and  which 
were  said  to  have  been  standardized  and  found  to  agree  in  regis¬ 
tration.  As  a  check  on  the  pyrometers,  small  cylinders  of  lead, 
aluminum,  glass,  copper  and  cast-iron  were  placed  in  the  houses 
in  positions  corresponding  to  those  occupied  by  the  pyrometer 
tubes.  The  fires  were  lighted  at  10:22  ACM.  Pyrometric  readings 
began  at  10:30  and  were  continued  as  per  the  following  table: 

7  6 


NEW  YORK  EIRE  TES1 


Metropolitan 


Time 

House. 

Tile  House. 

10:30 . 

.  1,050  F . 

.  1,250  F. 

10:40 . 

.  1,375  . 

.  1,375 

10:43 . 

.  1,525  . 

.  1,575 

10:45 . 

. .  1,575  . 

.  1,625 

10:50 . 

.  1,800  . 

.  1,800 

10:58 . 

.  1,875  . 

.  2  000 

11  :00 . 

. .  .  1,875  . 

.  2,025 

11 :01 . 

.  1,900  . 

.  2,050 

11 :05 . 

.  1,900 

2  050 

11  :15 . 

. .  1,900  . 

.  1,950 

11 :22 . 

.  1,800  . 

.  1,950 

11 :27 . 

.  1,950  . 

.  1,950 

11  :28 . 

.  2,000  . 

.  1,950 

11:30 . 

. .  .  2,000  . 

.  1,975 

11  :36 . 

.  1,825 

....  2  000 

11  :45 . 

.  1,950  . 

.  1,950 

12:00 . 

.  1,875  . 

.  1,850 

12:10 . 

. .  1,825  . 

.  1,825 

12:16 . 

.  1,850  . 

.  1,825 

12:30 . 

.  1,850  . 

.  1,850 

12:45 . 

.  1,850  . 

.  1,725 

1:00 . 

.  1,750  . 

.  1.850 

1  :12 . 

.  1,475  . 

.  1,625 

1  :1 7 . 

.  1,750  . 

.  1,550 

1:20 . 

.  1,850  . 

1:25 . 

.  1,875  . 

1:31 . 

.  1,775  . 

.  1,600 

1:34 . 

.  1,725  . 

.  1.725 

1:38 . 

.  1,850  . 

.  1,725 

1  :39 . 

.  1,900  . 

.  1,750 

1:41 . 

.  2,000  . 

.  1.750 

1:42 . 

.  2,025  . 

.  1,725 

1:45 . 

.  2,025  . 

.  1,675 

1  :47 . 

.  1,975  . 

.  1.675 

1-50 . 

.  1,925  . 

.  1.800 

1:51 . 

.  1,900  . 

.  1,775 

1:53 . 

.  1,800  . 

.  1,800 

2:00 . 

.  1,650  . 

.  1,650 

2:02 . 

.  1,900  . 

.  1.825 

2:04 . 

.  1,950  . 

.  1.850 

2:05 . 

.  1,900  . 

.  1,800 

2:07 . 

.  1,950  . 

.  1,875 

2:09 . 

.  2,050  . 

.  1.900 

77 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Metropolitan 


Time 

Hou 

2 

10 . 

.  2.075 

2 

n . 

.  2,100 

2 

15 . 

.  2,050 

2 

la . 

.  1,950 

2 

18 . 

.  1,825 

2 

21 . 

.  1,825 

2 

23 . 

.  2,000 

2 

24 . 

.  2,050 

2 

26 . 

.  1,975 

2 

30 . 

.  1,825 

? 

34.  . 

.  1,625 

2 

36 . 

.  1,825 

2 

37 . 

.  1,925 

2 

40 . 

.  1,950 

2 

49 . 

.  1,775 

2 

50 . 

.  1,850 

3 

02 . 

.  1,850 

3 

07 . 

_  1.850 

3 

09 _ _ _  1.825 

3 

10 . 

.  1,800 

Tile  House 
.  1.950 
.  1.925 
.  1.925 
.  1,875 
.  1,875 
.  1,850 
.  1.800 
.  1,825 
.  1,650 
.  1.875 
.  1,950 
.  1.900 
.  1.825 
.  1.725 
.  2,000 
.  2.100 
.  2.000 
.  2,000 
.  1.925 
.  1,900 


At  11:05  the  copper  cylinder  in  the  Metropolitan  house  had 
fused,  while  that  in  the  tile  house  remained  intact. 

At  11:50  new  sets  of  cylinders  were  placed  in  both  houses. 
When  the  first  set  was  removed  from  the  tile  house  the  copper 
rod  was  still  in  position. 

At  12:10  the  second  copper  cylinder  had  fused  in  the  Metro¬ 
politan  house;  that  in  the  tile  house  had  fused  at  12:25. 

At  1  :06  the  pyrometer  tube  in  the  Metropolitan  house  was 
transferred  to  the  hole  previously  occupied  by  the  set  of  test 
cylinders.  A  similar  transfer  was  made  in  the  tile  house  at  1  :20. 
They  were  again  reconnected  with  the  registering  scales  at  1  :08 
and  1  :28,  respectively. 

A  thermometer  was  so  placed  on  the  roof  of  each  test  house 
that  its  base  rested  on  what  would  be  a  portion  of  the  floor 
immediately  under  the  wood  flooring.  The  readings  of  these 

thermometers  were  as  follows : 

Metropolitan  Tile 

House  House 

60  F .  60  F. 

66  .  66 

78 


Time 

10:46 

10:59, 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


Metropolitan 


Time  House 

12:05 .  88 

1:14 .  98 

2:28 .  98 

3  :20 . 117  ( max. ) 


lhe  roof  deflections  obtained  were  as  follows : 


11:35 .  18-100  in 

12:02 .  23-100 

12:53 .  20-100 

1:17 .  20-100 

2:07 .  22-100 

3:00 .  36-100 

After  quenching  .  19-100 

Immediately  after  loading  to 

600  lbs .  44-100 

After  600  lbs.  load  had  been 
on  48  hours  .  45-100 


Tile 

House 

10334 

128 

128 

134  (max.) 


40-100  in 
43-100 
90-100 
103-100 
143-100 
184-100 
28-100 


41-100 

43-100 


Each  fire  was  quenched  by  a  stream  of  water  turned  on  from 
a  fire  engine  at  3:22.  The  stream  was  kept  on  at  full  head  for  15 
minutes,  during  which  time  it  was  directed  almost  entirely  against 
the  ceilings  of  the  houses.  At  the  end  of  15  minutes  the  hose  was 
transferred  to  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  the  water  was  played  on 
the  flooring  at  reduced  pressure  for  5  minutes. 

The  protective  qualities  of  the  two  systems  of  fireproofing 
are  best  measured  in  this  test  by  the  effect  of  the  heat  on  the  iron 
beams  which  the  fireproofing  materials  were  intended  to  protect. 
The  readings  of  the  thermometers  on  the  roofs  show  that  the 
Metropolitan  system  is  superior  to  the  tile  system  in  non-con¬ 
ductivity  of  heat.  The  deflection  records  furnish  corroborative 
evidence  of  this.  The  most  conclusive  evidence  of  the  superior 
non-conducting  quality  of  the  Metropolitan  material  is,  however, 
found  in  the  appearance  of  the  surfaces  of  the  lower  flanges  of  the 
beams.  In  the  tile  house  the  paint  on  such  surfaces  was  com¬ 
pletely  burnt  off  and  a  scale  of  red  and  magnetic  oxides  of  iron 
had  formed.  In  the  Metropolitan  house  the  paint  on  the  lower 
flanges  of  the  beams  had  not  been  perceptibly  affected ;  it  could 
be  scraped  off  in  pieces  which  exhibited  the  properties,  such  as 
elasticity  and  toughness,  possessed  by  the  paint  before  the  test.  In 
our  opinion  this  unaltered  condition  of  the  paint  on  the  beams  in 
the  Metropolitan  house  is  the  strongest  possible  evidence  that  the 


79 


NEW  YORK  FIRE  TEST 


beams  in  this  house  could  not  have  been  much  heated  during  the 
test.  Further  evidence  of  the  high  non-conductivity  of  the  Met¬ 
ropolitan  material  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  wood  used  in  the 
composition  remained  unaltered  in  that  portion  in  contact  with 
the  metal  beams.  This  proves  conclusively  that  the  temperature 
at  which  wood  chars  was  not  reached  in  the  back  portion  of  the 
beam-covering  in  the  Metropolitan  house.  The  unaltered  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  paint  on  the  beams  in  this  house  shows  that  the  tem¬ 
perature  reached  must  have  been  considerably  under  the  wood¬ 
charring  temperature ;  otherwise,  the  paint  would  at  least  have 
blistered. 

Reference  to  photographs  taken  of  the  ceilings  after  the  tests 
will  show  that  the  ceiling  in  the  Metropolitan  house  was  washed 
down  where  the  full  force  of  the  fire  engine  stream  struck.  At 
other  points  it  remained  in  position. 

While  the  tile  ceiling  resisted  the  force  of  the  water  much 
better  than  the  Metropolitan,  it  was  inferior  to  the  latter  in  its 
protection  of  the  metal  beams  against  the  fire. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Ricketts  &  Banks. 


So 


Fire  Test  of 


Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  Floor 
for  the  Building  Department  of  the 
City  of  Boston,  Mass, 


A  rectangular  structure  was  made  6’  high,  the  sides  being- 
12'  long  and  the  ends  7'  long.  The  walls  were  12"  thick,  and  of 
brick,  reinforced  at  the  corners  of  the  structure  and  in  the  middle 
of  each  side  by  piers  16"  square.  Transversely  with  the  12'  walls, 
and  resting  on  them,  were  placed  three  6"  steel  beams,  5'  2"  apart, 
center  to  center.  On  these  beams  were  constructed  a  floor,  there 
being  two  bays.  The  distance  between  the  cables  was  2",  and 
the  thickness  of  floor-plate  was  4^".  The  area  of  the  floor  was 
72  square  feet.  As  constructed,  the  floor  formed  the  top  of  a 
furnace,  and  would  thus  be  exposed  to  the  maximum  effect  of  a 
Are  burning  within.  In  order  to  determine  the  effect  of  a  Are  on 
both  a  loaded  floor  and  one  that  was  not  loaded,  cast-iron  plates 
were  distributed  over  the  top  surface  of  one  bay  until  the  load 
amounted  to  300  pounds  per  square  foot,  while  the  other  bay 
remained  without  load,  its  top  surface,  therefore,  being  at  all 
t  ines  in  open  view.  At  9:00  A.  M.  a  Are  of  hard  wood  was 
built,  and  was  kept  burning  intensely  until  3  :30  P.  M.  The  heat 
was  so  great  that  large  cracks  were  developed  in  the  sides  and 
ends  of  the  brick  walls  by  expansion.  Throughout  the  entire  time 
the  iron  beams,  protected  by  the  composition,  remained  cold,  and 
the  non-conduction  qualities  of  the  composition  were  further  em¬ 
phasized  by  the  fact  that  those  witnessing  the  test  walked  around 
from  time  to  time  on  the  unloaded  bay,  examining  the  loading  and 
the  condition  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  composition.  At  all 
times  during  the  test  the  top  surface  of  the  composition  remained 
so  cool  that  the  hand  could  lie  placed  on  it  without  inconvenience. 
Some  days  later,  the  Are  having  entirely  died  out,  the  composition 
was  carefully  examined,  when  it  was  found  that  the  under  surface, 
which  was  exposed  to  the  flames,  was  affected  to.  a  depth  varying 
from  T4"  to  lA" ■  A  light  scratching,  with  a  skim  coat  of  plaster, 

8 1 


BOSTON  FIRE  TEST 


would  have  been  sufficient  to  make  a  finished  ceiling.  The  strength 
of  the  floor  was  unimpaired,  and  after  two  and  a  half  months' 
exposure  to  the  weather  the  surface  remained  unchanged. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent  of  Boston  Board  of 
Underwriters,  in  the  presence  of  the  Commission  of  Buildings 
and  his  chief  inspector.  The  tests  were  instituted  by  Mr.  W.  T. 
Sears,  architect.  Several  systems  were  tested  at  one  time,  among 
them  the  Metropolitan,  test  houses  being  erected  for  the  purpose. 

At  the  end  of  the  test  the  onlv  perceptible  damage  was  that 
done  to  the  brick  party  wall.  A  question  in  regard  to  the  com¬ 
parative  weights  of  the  materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
different  roofs  having  been  raised,  it  was  decided  to  weigh  a 
section  of  each.  The  data  thus  gathered  are  here  tabulated: 


Zj 

A*1 

JL 

ZJ  T3 

'[■  0 

£ 

Construction 

1 )  Zj 

X  - 

0 

£ 

&  ~ 

s. 

<?  X 

ZJ 

■w  *** 

u  o 
mZ2 

C" 

«U 

r-1 

i 

Roebling  system  . 

iS 

1,295 

427 

72 

2 

Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Co.’s  system.. 

18 

23-7 

3 

Expanded  Metal  Company’s  system . 

22-5 

1,687 

75-4 

3a 

Same  as  No.  3,  with  additional  flat  ceiling. 

22  5 

1,814 

8).  6 

4 

Eureka  system  . 

20.25 

1,648 

8l.^ 

5 

Porous,  hollow  tile  arch  blocks,  covered 

with  concrete  2"  thick  . 

20  25 

1,781 

87-95 

In  considering  this  table  it  should  be  noted  that  all  of  the  floors 
were  plastered  on  the  under  side,  and  were  concreted  on  top,  read) 
to  receive  the  wood  floors.  The  plastering  on  Xo.  5  fell  during 
the  fire-test,  and  was  removed  with  the  debris,  and,  consequently, 
not  weighed  with  the  other  material;  the  weight  of  the  1 2"  stud 
floor-beams  is  not  included  in  the  weight  given  above. 

Completeness  is  not  claimed  for  any  of  the  above  tests.  It  was 
thought,  however,  that  the  tests  offered  valuable  suggestions,  and 
threw  many  new  lights  on  the  subject  of  fireproof  construction. 


Miscellaneous  Fire  Tests 


Ricketts  &  Banks, 
Chemists,  Assayers  and  Mining- 
Engineers, 


Pierre  de  P.  Ricketts,  E.M.,  Ph.D. 
John  H.  Banks,  E.M.,  Ph.D. 


104  John  Street. 


E.  Rensham  Bush,  E.M., 

Associate  Mining  Engineer. 


Cable  Address,  ‘‘Ricketts,”  New  York. 

[copy.] 

New  York,  June  8th,  1896. 

Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company, 

No.  8/4  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Gentlemen  :  We  have  to  report  that  on  the  6th  inst.  a  number 
of  tests  were  made  under  the  supervision  of  our  Dr.  Banks,  to 
determine  the  behavior  at  very  high  temperatures  of  samples  of 
your  fireproofing  materials  as  compared  with  hard-burnt  clay, 
hollow  floor  tile  and  porous  terra-cotta  hollow  partition  tile.  The 
samples  were  delivered  to  Dr.  Banks  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Lindsey.  The 
hard-burnt  hollow  floor  tiles  were  stamped,  “Henry  Maurer  & 
Son.  N.  Y."  The  porous  partition  tiles  are  said  to  have  been  made 
by  the  Perth  Amboy  Terra  Cotta  Company.  The  tests  were  made 
at  the  steel  works  of  the  Benjamin,  Atha  &  lllingsworth  Company, 
Harrison,  N.  J.,  some  in  the  furnace  used  for  melting  crucible 
steel,  and  others  in  the  steel  heating  furnaces.  The  furnace  tem¬ 
peratures  were  measured  by  the  Optical  Pyrometer  of  Noul  and 
Mesure. 


TEST  NO.  1 


In  this  the  samples  tested  were  a  block  of  the  Metropolitan 
Fireproofing  Company's  material,  measuring  2"  by  4  1/16"  by 
7j4",  and  a  portion  of  a  porous  terra-cotta  hollow  partition  tile, 
measuring  4"  by  by  6j4"  long  on  top  side,  and  6j4”  long  on 

bottom  side.  These  samples  were  placed  in  the  hottest  part  of  the 
heating  furnace  at  \\ :l5r/2  A.  M.  At  ll:25j4,  when  the  furnace 
door  was  raised  to  permit  of  an  inspection  of  the  samples,  it  was 
seen  that  the  porous  terra-cotta  tile  had  fallen  apart  at  the  dividing 
wall.  The  Metropolitan  Block  appeared  to  be  intact  at  this 
time.  At  11  :37j4  both  samples  were  withdrawn  from  the  fur- 


MISCELLANEOUS  FIRE  TESTS 


nace,  the  full  time  of  exposure  to  the  heat  of  the  furnace  having 
been  22  minutes.  The  porous  terra-cotta  tile  had  separated  into 
three  pieces.  The  clay  had  softened  and  was  pasty.  When  cold 
it  was  found  to  be  very  friable.  The  Metropolitan  Flock  came 
out  unbroken,  although  the  corners  and  edges  were  more  or  less 
rounded  where  the  highly  heated  exterior  material  had  become 
friable. 

TEST  NO.  2 

The  samples  used  in  this  test  were  a  block  of  the  Metro¬ 
politan  Fireproofing  Company's  material,  and  a  4”  porous 
terra-cotta  hollow  partition  tile.  Both  samples  were  surrounded 
with  fire  brick,  except  the  top  surface,  which  was  subjected  to  the 
full  intensity  of  the  heat.  These  samples  were  put  in  the  heating 
furnace  at  1:16  P.  M.,  and  taken  out  at  3:20,  giving  an  exposure 
of  2  hours  4  minutes.  During  this  test  one  of  the  protecting  bricks 
fell  away  from  each  sample,  so  that  in  addition  to  the  full  time 
exposure  of  the  top  surfaces,  one  side  of  the  Metropolitan  sample 
and  one  end  of  the  porous  terra-cotta  samples  were  exposed  during 
a  portion  of  the  time.  The  temperature  in  the  furnace  averaged 
about  2,417  deg.  Fahr.  during  the  test.  When  the  samples  were 
removed  from  the  furnace,  it  was  found  that  the  porous  terra¬ 
cotta  tile  was  in  a  viterous  state.  It  had  undergone  considerable 
fusion,  and  at  the  moment  of  withdrawal  from  the  furnace  it  was 
quite  pasty.  The  Metropolitan  Block  was  found  to  have  shrunk 
in  size,  but  there  was  no  indication  of  fusion.  It  retained  its 
original  form. 


TEST  NO.  3 

In  this  test  the  following  five  samples  were  used:  A  hard- 
burnt  clay  hollow  floor  tile  5"  by  8"  by  12",  with  walls  13/16" 
thick.  A  porous  terra-cotta  hollow  partition  tile  4J4”  by  6l/2" 
by  with  -)4"  central  wall,  1"  top  and  bottom  walls,  and 

1 14  side  walls.  A  block  of  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing 
Company  s  material,  4"  by  6r4"  by  8*4 ".  A  second  block  of  same 
material  2'4"  by  6"  by  1 2y.\' .  And  fifth,  a  third  block  of  the 
Metropolitan  material,  2"  by  3yT  bv  7j4w.  These  samples  were 
put  in  the  heating  furnace  at  1  :35  P.  M.  and  taken  out  at  the  end 


MISCELLANEOUS  FIRE  TESTS 


of  2  hours.  When  the  door  of  the  furnace  was  opened  at  1  :50  it 
was  seen  that  one  compartment  of  the  hard-burnt  floor  tile  had 
dropped  in  and  a  portion  of  one  side  had  fallen  away.  Also,  that 
the  top  of  the  porous  terra-cotta  tile  was  quite  badly  cracked. 
The  blocks  of  Metropolitan  material  showed  no  material  change. 
At  this  time  the  pyrometer  indicated  2,302  deg.  Fahr.  At  2 :03 
the  hard-burnt  tile  floor  had  collapsed,  so  that  the  web  and  top 
rested  upon  the  bottom.  The  top  of  the  porous  terra-cotta  tile 
was  also  at  this  time  badly  broken  and  sagged.  The  Metropoli¬ 
tan  Blocks  had  grown  smaller,  but  appeared  to  lie  intact.  The 
pyrometer  at  time  indicated  2,417  deg.  Fahr.  A  lump  of  cast-iron 
was  placed  in  the  furnace  at  2:14,  and  when  the  furnace  door 
was  again  opened,  7  minutes  later,  this  was  in  a  liquid  state  on  the 
bottom  of  the  furnace.  At  2 :25  the  two  clay  tiles  were  in  pasty 
masses.  The  smallest  of  the  three  Metropolitan  Blocks  had 
disappeared,  apparently  having  fluxed  with  the  bottom  of  the  fur¬ 
nace.  The  2/t,"  by  6"  by  1 2l/y  block  of  Metropolitan  material 
had  grown  quite  small  at  this  time.  The  4"  by  6j4"  by  8^8  ”  block 
of  the  same  material  had  begun  to  flux  at  the  bottom  and  had 
diminished  in  size,  but  otherwise  was  standing  the  exposure  very 
well.  The  pyrometer  at  2:50  indicated  2,552  deg.  Fahr.  At  the  end 
of  the  two  hours  the  two  tile  samples  were  pasty  masses.  Two  of 
the  Metropolitan  Blocks  had  disappeared  and  but  a  small  por¬ 
tion  of  the  largest  block  remained. 

TEST  NO  4 

In  this  test  a  block  of  the  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Com¬ 
pany’s  material,  3''  by  6 ]/%"  by  12r4",  was  used.  A  V2"  hole  was 
bored  longitudinally  into  this  block  from  one  end  to  within  3" 
of  the  other  end.  Into  this  hole  was  first  placed  a  tightly-fitting 
iron  rod  6"  long ;  a  short  roll  of  thin  paper  was  next  put  in  and 
the  end  of  the  hole  was  then  tamped  full  of  the  crushed  fireproof¬ 
ing  material.  This  sample  was  placed  in  the  furnace  at  2.08  and 
taken  out  at  2:18 ]/>.  As  soon  as  out  of  the  furnace  the  block  was 
broken  and  the  rod  and  paper  picked  out  with  the  fingers.  The 
rod  was  warm,  hut  was  held  in  the  fingers  without  any  discomfort. 
The  paper  showed  no  trace  of  charring  nor  injury  of  any  kind. 
Idle  fireproofing  material  had  charred  to  a  depth  of  9-16",  leaving 
1  V<2'  of  interior  practically  unaltered. 


MISCELLANEOUS  EIRE  TESTS 


TEST  NO.  5 

For  this  a  block  was  prepared  in  the  same  manner  as  for  Test 
Xo.  4,  except  that  the  paper  was  left  out.  This  and  an  8"  hard- 
burnt  clay  hollow  floor  tile  were  put  into  the  furnace  at  2 :59. 
At  3:03  the  tile  had  cracked  at  the  top,  and  at  3:10  it  had  col¬ 
lapsed.  I  loth  samples  were  withdrawn  as  soon  as  the  tile  broke 
down,  having  been  in  the  furnace  11  minutes.  The  block  of 
Metropolitan  material  was  broken  open  as  soon  as  out  of  the 
furnace,  and  the  enclosed  iron  rod  taken  in  the  hand  as  before. 
It  was  warm,  but  could  be  held  in  the  unprotected  hand.  In  this 
test  the  charring  had  reached  a  depth  of  yg",  leaving  lyT  of 
interior  practically  unaltered. 

TEST  NO.  6 

In  this  test  the  following  three  samples  were  treated.  Three 
3"  by  6"  by  12"  Metropolitan  Fireproofing  Company’s  blocks 
piled  on  the  sides,  making  a  pile  9"  by  6"  by  12".  An  8"  hard-burnt 
hollow  floor  tile,  lying  on  two  porous  clay  tiles,  which  in  turn 
rested  on  a  square  slab  of  Metropolitan  material.  And,  third,  a 
4"  porous  terra-cotta  tile,  lying  on  two  porous  clay  tiles,  which 
rested  on  a  square  slab  of  Metropolitan  material.  These  were 
put  into  the  heating  furnace  at  4  P.  M.  and  withdrawn  at  4:30. 
The  hard-burnt  floor  tile  was  broken  at  the  top  at  4:16,  and  at 
4:30  had  collapsed  completely.  The  porous  terra-cotta  tile  had 
lost  a  lower  corner  at  4:12,  and  at  4:30  it  was  badly  slagged  and 
pasty,  with  a  bad  crack  about  one-third  from  one  end.  The 
Metropolitan  Flocks  were  lifted  out  one  at  a  time,  by  taking 
hold  of  one  corner  with  a  pair  of  tongs.  The  lowest  one,  which 
rested  on  the  bottom  of  the  furnace,  was  fluxe  1  on  the  bottom  side 
and  was  damaged  somewhat  by  the  tool  as  the  pile  was  moved 
about  the  furnace.  The  two  upper  blocks  came  out  in  good  con¬ 
dition,  although  somewhat  shrunken  and  weakened  at  the  exterior. 
W  hen  broken,  the  fracture  of  these  blocks  showed  at  the  exterior 
a  white,  friable  shell ;  next  to  this  was  a  stratum  of  charred 
material,  the  combined  depth  of  the  two  being  about  -)4",  and  then 
a  core  of  unaltered  material,  in  which  the  chips  retained  their 
original  color,  and  which  appeared  to  retain  its  original  strength. 


X6 


MISCELLANEOUS  FIRE  TESTS 


TEST  NO.  7 

In  this  test  the  samples  were  put  into  uncovered  plumbago 
crucibles,  in  the  crucible  steel  melting  furnace,  the  temperature  of 
which  was  shown  by  the* pyrometer  to  lie  2,552  deg.  Fahr.  The 
samples  tested  were:  Two  blocks  of  the  Metropolitan  Fire¬ 
proofing  Company's  material  measuring  2]/%'  by  4yg"  by  74s", 
and  3l/i”  by  6"  by  8 $4"  respectively.  A  portion  of  a  porous  terra¬ 
cotta  hollow  tile  4"  by  6]/%'  by  1124",  with  T inner  and  1"  outer 
walls.  And,  fourth,  a  portion  of  an  8"  hard-burnt  hollow  floor  tile, 
with  Y\"  walls.  The  two  blocks  of  Metropolitan  material  were 
put  into  one  crucible  and  other  samples  into  separate  crucibles. 
The  samples  were  put  into  hot  crucibles  at  5  :55,  and  the  crucibles 
were  withdrawn  at  6:55.  At  the  end  of  the  test  the  smaller  of 
the  blocks  of  -Metropolitan  material  had  melted  down,  but  of  the 
larger  a  portion  remained.  The  upper  corners  of  this  larger  block 
not  touching  the  crucible  were  found  to  be  in  practically  the  same 
condition  as  before  the  test.  The  melting  of  the  balance  of  these 
two  blocks  was  undoubtedly  hastened  by  the  fluxing  action  of  the 
clay  of  the  crucible.  The  porous  terra-cotta  tile  was  found  in  the 
bottom  of  the  crucible  as  a  viscous  mass.  The  hard-burnt  hollow 
floor  tile  had  lost  its  form  and  had  become  a  stiff,  pasty  mass. 

Our  observations  during  the  above-described  tests,  and  the 
results  obtained,  have  led  us  to  the  following  conclusions : 

The  Metropolitan  material  is  more  infusible  than  the  clay  of 
either  of  the  tiles  tested.  When  not  in  contact  with  firebrick  or 
other  fluxing  matter  it  was  infusible  at  the  highest  temperaure 
reached  in  the  tests,  while  under  the  same  conditions  the  clay  tiles 
lost  their  form  and  became  pasty. 

The  high  temperature  produces  onlv  surface  cracks  in  the 
Metropolitan  material,  while  in  the  clay  tiles  it  causes  fractures 
which  destroy  the  tiles.  While  in  clay  tiles  collapse  is  likely  to 
occur  from  cracks  formed  by  the  sudden  heating  long  before  the 
softening  point  is  reached;  in  the  case  of  the  Metropolitan 
material  there  is  a  gradual  disintegration,  and  collapse  does  not 
occur  until  this  disintegration  has  penetrated  so  far  that  the  unal¬ 
tered  interior  becomes  so  reduced  in  mass  as  to  lack  the  strength 
requisite  to  resist  crushing  by  the  weight  upon  it.  This  disinte¬ 
gration  proceeds  slowly,  and  where  a  considerable  thickness  of 

‘s7 


MISCELLANEOUS  FIR L  TESTS 


material  is  used,  as  in  arches  between  floor  beams,  we  doubt  if  in 
an  ordinary  building  fire  the  depth  reached  would  be  sufficient  to 
permit  of  collapse. 

Yours  respectfully, 

(Signed)  *  Ricketts  &  Banks. 


Section  built  September  15,  1894;  tested  October  12,  1894. 

Span,  5'  6",  center  to  center  of  beams.  Length  of  section, 

5'  JT. 

The  above  section  was  so  arranged  as  to  form  the  top  of  a 
furnace,  and  a  load  of  200  pounds  per  square  foot  was  imposed 
on  it  and  remained  during  the  entire  test.  A  hard  wood  fire  was 
started  at  12:40  P.  M.  and  kept  up  until  about  3:30  P.  M.,  when 
it  was  extinguished  by  throwing  water  on  it  from  a  fire  hose. 

At  the  same  time  water  was  also  thrown  on  the  floor,  and  the 
composition  did  not  crack,  splinter  off,  nor  did  there  seem  to  be 
any  tendency  to  disintegration. 

The  surface  of  the  section  not  exposed  to  the  flames  and  the 
beams  protected  by  the  composition  remained  so  cool  during  the 
test  that  the  hand  could  be  held  on  them  without  discomfort. 

After  the  fire  was  extinguished  the  load  was  removed  and  a 
hole  cut  through  the  section,  admitting  of  a  thorough  examina¬ 
tion  of  the  condition  of  the  composition.  The  surface  that  was 
exposed  to  the  flame  was  affected  to  a  depth  of  about  one-half 
inch,  the  remainder  being  uninjured,  and  the  efficiency  of  the 
section  to  carry  weight  was  apparently  undiminished. 


STRENGTH  TESTS 


TEST  OF  MANHATTAN  FIREPROOFING  COMPANY’S  (NOW  METROPOL¬ 
ITAN  FIREPROOFING  COMPANY)  FLOORING,  MADE  AT  THEIR  YARD 
OCTOBER  2d,  1893. 

The  piece  of  floor  tested  was  9/>"  wide,  4"  thick,  and  5'  0" 
clear  span  between  the  wooden  beams,  to  which  the  wires  were 
Annie  secured  by  staples,  which  prevented  any  slipping  of  the 
wires  over  the  beams.  Between  the  beams  were  timbers  which 
prevented  the  beams  from  canting  or  being  drawn  together.  The 
floor  contained  eight  pairs  of  No.  12  wire,  spaced  about  1"  apart, 
and  with  a  sag  of  about  2VY'  at  the  center.  The  concrete  filling 
below  the  wires  consisted  of  plaster  of  paris  and  pine  chips;  the 
filling  above  the  wires  consisted  of  a  concrete  composed  of  two 
parts,  by  measure,  of  broken  brick  to  one  part  of  plaster  of  paris. 
The  action  of  the  floor  under  the  different  loads  was  as  follows : 


Load,  Lbs.  Deflection,  Inches.  Remarks. 


7,600 


Load,  Lb.,  Per  Sq.  Ft. 
1,900 


The  load  was  a  uniformly  distributed  load,  consisting  of  pig- 
iron,  on  top  of  which  were  placed  bags  of  plaster  of  paris.  The 
flooring  gave  way  by  the  breaking  of  two  wires  on  one  side,  close 
to  one  of  the  beams. 


[copy.] 

Constable  Brothers, 

22  East  Sixteenth  Street, 

New  York,  May  26th,  1896. 

Superintendent  of  Buildinc/s, 

220  Fourth  Avenue,  Nezv  York  City. 

Dear  Sir:  Having  received  a  request  from  Mr.  Hewitt  to 
attend  a  test  before  the  Board  to-day,  and  a  copy  of  a  letter  sent 
to  them,  I  desire  to  make  the  following  comments : 

1st. — The  Varick  street  tests  were  not  made  under  the  super¬ 
vision  of  the  Building  Department,  but  arranged  by  Mr.  Lindsey, 
who  had  four  sample  panels  put  in  the  building,  and  who  requested 

89 


STRENGTH  TESTS 


me  to  take  charge  on  the  appointed  day,  and  the  Department  was 
asked  to  be  present. 

2d. — T  he  drop  tests  showed  the  panels  to  be  unusually  tough 
and  elastic. 

3d.- — The  weight  test  was  sufficient  to  show  ample  strength  for 
such  a  building,  but  was  not  completely  satisfactory,  as  the  pig- 
iron  was  so  uneven  in  shape  that  the  pile  toppled  over  before  the 
ultimate  strength  of  the  floor  was  reached. 

4th^ — -This  accident  interfered  somewhat  with  getting  complete 
data  on  the  question  of  adjoining  panels  raising  or  buckling  up¬ 
wards  if  unloaded. 

5th. — The  first  test  consisted  of  burning,  for  an  hour,  what  old 
wood  and  barrels  could  be  collected  around  the  buildings,  and 
showed  good  results  as  regards  fire  and  water,  but  was  open  to 
the  objection  that  the  plaster  was  still  damp,  and  that  the  ther¬ 
mometer  placed  upon  the  beam  did  not  reach  more  than  87  degrees, 
which  was  partly  an  indication  that  there  was  not  enough  volume 
of  heat  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  material  about  it  to  either 
dry  it  out  or  make  the  test  really  a  severe  one.  Recent  experi¬ 
ments  have  demonstrated  to  me  that  most  of  the  ordinary  fire  tests 
have  been  most  uncertain  as  to  real  severitv  of  the  test,  the  very 
high  temperature  being  up  the  flue. 

'The  tests  at  Trenton  showed  about  the  same  results,  excepting 
the  fire  test  was  longer  and  the  section  of  the  floor  loaded  with 
brick,  and  the  spans  settled  about  6".  but  again  not  quite  as  com¬ 
plete  as  could  be  wished,  as  the  chip  and  plaster  filling  was  damp 
and  the  iron  tilted  so  that  it  could  not  be  determined  whether  all 
the  settlements  of  the  arch  was  due  to  this  or  not. 

1  have  recently  shown  you,  by  an  accurate  comparative  test 
of  the  same  material  taken  from  the  \  arick  street  building,  that 
there  is  an  appreciable  difference  between  testing  damp  and  dry 
chip  plaster.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  as  1  have  been 
recently  quoted  in  the  matter  of  this  floor,  /  desire  to  go  on  record 
that  my  opinion  is  that  the  floor  is  very  strong  and  tough,  but  as 
regards  its  qualifications  in  the  matter  of  flexibility  and  fire  resist¬ 
ance,  etc.,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  quoted  as  giving  unqualified  approval. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)  Howard  Constable. 


90 


STRENGTH  TESTS 


RESULTS  OF  TESTS  FOR  STRENGTH  OF  METROPOLITAN  FIREPROOFING 

COMPANY’S  FLOORS 


> 

H 

M 

Distance  between  beams, 
center  to  center 

gengtli  of  section  tested. 

Area  tested  ill  square 
feet 

Total  load  applied,  in 
pounds 

Ft.  In. 

Ft.  I11. 

May  1 ,  ’95  70 

2  6^4  16  48  18,151 

May  1,  ’95  6  0 

2  6 14  18,891 

May  2,  ’95  5  6 

2  6  12.68  14,076 

May  2,  ’95  56 

2  6  12.68  14,076 

May  2,  ’95  5  6 

2  6 y$  12.71  16,526 

Aug.  12,  ’95  7  0 

2  6)4  16.64  17,660 

Aug. 

21, 

’95 

8 

O 

2  6 

18  88 

16,265 

Aug. 

21, 

’95 

6 

O 

2  6j4 

14.08 

18,710 

Aug. 

22, 

’95 

5 

6 

2  6)4 

12.87 

'7,845 

2  o  10.667  5,923 


5  io}4  20  ix  8,782 


Dec.  12,  ’95  5  6  o  323^  13.74  ii,ii<> 

April  24,  ’96  56  26  12.63  9.510 


o  ft 


I,  IOI 


1,350 


1, 1 10 


r ,  1 10 


1,300 


1,061 


Remarks 


861 

1,328 

1,386 

555 

798 


809 

753 


Failed  by  deflection  and  ad¬ 
joining  arches  lifting.  No 
wires  broken. 

Failed  by  deflection  and 
adjoining  arches  lifting. 
No  wires  broken,  but  out¬ 
side  beams  bent  about  r 
inch. 

F'ailed  by  deflection  and  ad¬ 
joining  arches  lifting.  No 
wires  broken. 

Failed  by  deflection  and  ad¬ 
joining  arches  lifting.  No 
wires  broken. 

12  wires,  2)4  inches  apart. 
Failed  by  all  the  wires 
breaking  close  to  beam  on 
east  side. 

Heavy  rain  storm  Sunday 
night.  Arch  not  protected. 
Tested  following  Monday. 
F'ailed  by  deflection  and 
adjoining  arches  lifting. 
No  wires  broken. 

Failed  by  deflection  and  ad¬ 
joining  arches  lifting. 

Failed  by  deflection  and  ad¬ 
joining  arches  lifting. 

F'ailed  by  deflection  and 
adjoining  arches  lifting. 
These  arches  were  built 
between  15-inch  beams, 
without  skewbacks. 

This  test  was  made  in 
Baker  Building,  Philadel¬ 
phia,  Pa.,  and  was  part 
of  permanent  fl  ior.  Not 
tested  to  destruction. 

This  test  was  made  in 
Baker  Building,  Philadel¬ 
phia.  Pa.,  ami  was  part 
of  permanent  floor  Not 
tested  to  destruction 

Not  tested  to  destruction. 

Not  tested  to  destruction. 


91 


IMPACT  TESTS 


Section  built  September  15,  1894;  tested  October  12,  1894. 
Span,  3'  9" ,  center  to  center  of  beams. 

Length  of  section.  5' 

The  weight  was  cylindrical,  9 54  inches  diameter,  and  weighed 


205  lbs. 


A  board  thick  was  placed  on  the  center  of  a  section  parallel 
with  the  beams  and  the  weight  dropped  on  this  board. 


Height  of  Fall. 


Effect. 

Xo  visible  effect  on  the  section 
Xo  visible  effect  on  the  section 
Xo  visible  effect  on  the  section 


2'  0"  . 
4'  0" 

4'  10" 


The  board  was  then  removed  and  the  weight  allowed  to  fall  5' 
O''  on  the  unprotected  composition,  striking  each  time  on  a  differ¬ 
ent  place.  The  weight  did  not  fall  squarely,  but  on  edge,  and  cut 
each  time  into  the  composition.  In  those  cases  where  the  edge  of 
the  weight  reached  the  wires  it  spread  them  apart,  and  in  no  case 
zvere  any  of  them  broken  under  this  test. 

A  board  1  inch  thick  and  1  foot  square  was  placed  in  the  center 
of  the  section  adjoining  the  one  on  which  the  test  described  above 
was  made,  and  the  same  weight  allowed  to  fall  5'  0”,  each  time 
striking  in  the  same  place. 

The  first  blow  broke  the  board.  The  second  blow  so  shattered 
the  board  that  it  could  not  be  used  again.  The  third  blow  was  on 
the  unprotected  composition,  and  the  edge  of  the  weight  cut  into  it. 

On  dropping  the  fourth  time  the  weight  cut  into  the  composi¬ 
tion  to  the  wires,  leaving  them  bare.  The  fifth  blow  broke  or  cut 
the  wires  (the  weight  falling  each  time  on  edge),  and  the  weight 
dropped  through  the  floor. 

The  wires  were  continuous  from  section  to  section,  and  the 
breaking  of  the  wires  in  this  section  did  not  affect  the  portions  of 
the  same  wires  in  the  adjoining  section,  which  had  been  laid  bare 
in  the  first  impact  test. 

The  hole  in  the  floor  was  rather  clean-cut  and  very  little  larger 
than  the  weight. 

Section  built  April  15,  1896. 

Tested  April  24.  1896. 

Span,  5'  center  to  center  of  beams. 

Length  of  section,  2'  6". 

Cylindrical  weight  of  205  pounds. 

Height  of  Fall.  Effect. 

4'  0",  1  blow  . 


5'  0",  2  blows 
4'  6",  6  blows 


92 


Indestructibility  By  Water 

Composition  Not  Affected  by  Water 


That  the  composition,  as  used  in  construction,  is  not  injured 
by  water  is  demonstrated  bv  the  fact  that  no  injury  to  it  is  caused 
by  storms  occurring  while  it  is  being  put  into  floors  of  buildings 
not  covered  in,  as  well  as  by  special  tests.  In  one  case  on  one 
section  was  placed  a  load  of  330  pounds  per  square  foot,  the 
adjoining  section  being  left  without  load  in  order  to  determine 
whether  or  not  the  cables  would  pull  through  the  material  when 
saturated  with  water.  Water  was  allowed  to  flow  on  the  material 
for  24  hours,  and  no  apparent  weakening  of  the  composition  was 
produced.  In  another  instance  a  plate  of  the  composition,  about 
I'  square,  was  entirely  submerged  in  water  more  than  70  hours 
without  showing  any  tendency  to  disintegrate.  Immediately  after 
the  plate  was  taken  from  the  water  it  was  placed  on  top  of  the 
cables  and  a  load  of  800  pounds  per  square  foot  placed  upon  it. 
Under  this  load  the  plate  gave  no  indication  that  its  breaking  point 
had  been  reached,  nor  did  the  cables  cut  into  it. 


Rff'ect  of  Soaking  in  Water  on  Wires  and  Block 

Block,  4"  by  12"  by  14",  with  wires,  made  June  27th,  '94. 

Put  to  soak  in  water  September  1 1 ,  '94. 

Taken  out  of  water  October  3d.  ’94 — 22  days  in  water. 

Put  to  soak  in  water  10  A.  M.,  January  14th,  ’95. 

Taken  out  of  water  10  A.  M.,  January  15th,  ’95 — 24  hours  in 
water. 

Put  to  soak  in  water  2:30  P.  M.,  April  12th,  ’95. 

Taken  out  of  water  5  P.  M.,  April  15th,  ’95 — 74jA  hours  in 
water. 

Put  to  soak  in  water  9:30  A.  M.,  May  18th,  '97. 

Taken  out  of  water  9:30  A.  M.,  May  19th,  '97 — 24  hours  in 
water. 

Block  was  not  injured  by  soaking  in  water. 

Wires  imbedded  in  the  plaster  bright  and  clean. 


93 


Non-Corrosive 


Effect  of  Plaster  on  IV ire 

The  following  letter,  regarding  the  effect  of  plaster  on  wire 
imbedded  in  it,  is  from  Mr.  John  Rogers,  the  well-known  designer 
and  manufacturer  of  the  "Rogers  Groups”  of  statuary: 

New  Canaan,  Conn.,  March  13th,  1895. 

Dear  Mr.  Ketchum  :  Your  letter  of  inquiry  about  the  effect 
of  plaster  on  wrought  iron  imbedded  in  it  is  just  received.  1 
have  broken  up  plaster  casts  that  have  had  iron  imbedded  in  them 
for  years,  and  found  no  bad  effects  at  all  after  the  first  rusting 
from  the  damp  plaster.  While  the  plaster  is  still  wet  it  will,  of 
course,  rust  the  iron,  but  as  soon  as  it  is  dry  it  will  have  no  effect 
on  the  iron  whatever  as  far  as  my  experience  goes.  1  strengthen 
my  moulds,  which  last  for  years,  with  irons,  and  on  breaking  them 
up  to  make  new  ones  I  invariably  use  the  same  irons  over  again. 

Yours  truly, 

(Signed)  John  Rogers. 

Extract  from  the  report  of  Peter  T.  Asutin,  FJh.  D.,  F.  C.  S.,  Expert 
Chemist: 

"The  action  of  the  composition  on  iron  is  as  follows :  The 
plaster,  in  setting,  chemically  absorbs  most  of  the  water,  the  rest 
being  evaporated  in  a  short  time.  During  the  setting  of  the  plaster 
a  film  of  oxide  of  iron  is  formed  on  the  surface  of  the  iron, 
which  assists  the  contact  between  the  iron  and  the  plaster  by 
roughening  the  surface  of  the  former.  The  mass,  acting  as  an 
insulator,  protects  the  iron  from  oxidation,  making  it  permanent. 
No  gases  are  generated.  Its  action  in  contact  with  steel  is  prac¬ 
tically  the  same.” 


94 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PART  I. 

PACKS 

Economy .  16 

Fire  Resistance .  12-14 

In  General .  30 

List  of  Buildings .  36-50 

Lightness . 16 

Non-conductivity  .  12-14 

Preservation  ot  Metal .  22 

Principle  of  the  System .  5-6 

(duality  Insurance .  26-28 

4*^  J 

Rapidity  ol  Construction . 20 

Strength .  8-10 

Sound-deadening .  18 

Table  of  Dead  Loads . 16 

Root  Construction  tor  Manufacturing  Buildings  .  .  24 

Specification  and  Illustration,  Form  A . 3 2.-3 3 

Specification  and  Illustration,  Form  B .  34-35 

PART  II. 

New  York  Fire  Test — Official  Report .  5 8-7 5 

New  York  Fire  'Test — Report  ot  Ricketts  &  Banks  76-80 

Boston  Fire  Test .  81-82 

Miscellaneous  Fire  Tests .  83-88 

Tabulated  Results  ot  Comparative  Tests .  52-53 

Tabulated  Summaries  ot  Results  of  Tests .  54-57 

Strength  Tests .  92 

Data  Showing  Indestructibility  Bv  Water .  93 

Data  Showing  Non-corrosive  Properties .  94 


AVWV 

l  tftR  ARY 


